A flytipper was caught red-handed emptying a truckload of rubbish on downland at the edge of Brighton and Hove.
Billy Tom Fury, of Horton Road, Colnbrook, Slough, was spotted by the Sussex Police helicopter as it returned to Shoreham Airport from a callout.
The helicopter crew saw Fury dumping rubbish illegally in 19 Acres Field, to the east of Devil’s Dyke Road, Brighton, just above Brighton Golf Course and Waterhall.
The crew monitored Fury until a police car reached the scene.
He told officers that he had an Environment Agency waste carrier’s certificate.
And he claimed that he had unloaded the rubbish so that he could reload his truck in better order before going to the tip.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Friday (5 August) Fury pleaded guilty to illegally dumping waste during the incident which happened a year ago (Saturday 7 August).
He was prosecuted by the Environment Agency in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council.
The bench fined him £5,000 and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £1,285 and a £15 victim surcharge.
The magistrates said that Fury’s offence was a deliberate act and that he had no intention of reloading his vehicle.
Michael Turner, of the Environment Agency, said: “Prosecution is usually a last resort for us but Mr Fury clearly deposited waste illegally in this area.
“Local authorities across Sussex are determined to bring flytippers to justice.
“We are sharing intelligence and resources with them, Trading Standards and Sussex Police to clamp down on offenders.
“By flytipping in this way Mr Fury could have avoided the charges which would have been required had the waste been of disposed of at a licensed site.
“Flytipping is a growing problem that costs Brighton and Hove Council, and ultimately the taxpayer, around £100,000 a year in clean-up costs.
“Flytipping is not only a blight on the landscape, it also damages wildlife habitats and can pose a risk to communities.
“We urge the public to play an important role by reporting any flytipping incidents they see.”
Acres Field has been used previously and illegally by travellers and during this time there was a considerable amount of flytipping in the corner of the field.
Reports of flytipping can be made to the council or through the Environment Agency’s 24-hour hotline on 0800 807060.
