A TAUNTON man caught fly-tipping in Bridgwater has been fined £250.

Fly-tipping a single black sack or rubbish also saw the man earn himself a criminal record.

Adrian Foster, aged 44, of Eastwick Road, Taunton, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping at Taunton Magistrates Court today (Wednesday 24 July) in a case brought by Sedgemoor District Council.

He was fined £120 with £100 costs and £30 victim surcharge.

The council’s prosecuting solicitor, Nigel Osborne, told the court that Foster was one of two men in a Land Rover that a motorist spotted “packed full with bin bags and with bin bags on the roof".

The offence took place on Crow Lane, a no-through single-track road in Chedzoy, near Bridgwater.

The registered keeper of the Land Rover was Katrina Openshaw, of Egremont Court, Williton, the court heard.

Mr Osborne said that Foster later told the council that he had borrowed the Land Rover from his mother “to get rid of some stuff”.

The witness motorist could not pass the Land Rover, and took photographs of it, telling Foster that they would wait for him to leave, taking the rubbish with him.

The motorist then followed the Land Rover to the nearest main road, and returned to photograph a single bag of rubbish left behind before reporting it to Sedgemoor District Council.

The court heard that Foster’s explanation was that the Land Rover was stopped so the roof load could be secured.

He became “flustered” when the other driver arrived, broke one of the windows closing a door, and did not notice the single bag left behind.

It was, the court was told, an offence of “no or low culpability” under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The case only came to court because Foster – who is on Universal Credit, magistrates were told – agreed to pay a fixed penalty notice for £400, reduced to £250 if paid within 10 days, but made no payment.

After being told by the magistrates that they were giving him the benefit of the doubt, Foster was ordered to pay the fine, costs and surcharge at £20 a month.