Three people issued with fixed penalty notices after waste is illegally dumped in Great Yarmouth and Gorleston

A man and woman paid £750 each and a third man paid £450 after a dumped fridge freezer, bedding and other waste - including tins of paint - were traced to the trio.

Interviewed under caution by the council's environmental team, all three admitted liability for the fly-tipped items and were issued with fixed penalty notices.

Councillor Paul Wells, Great Yarmouth Borough Council's portfolio holder for Environment and Sustainability, Licensing and Waste, said: ''Residents are fed up of people who are selfish and care so little that they dump waste illegally, spoiling the environment and blighting our communities.

''Our teams will use every tool at their disposal to track down offenders and make sure they are made to pay for their actions. People want Great Yarmouth to be safe and welcoming and those behaving anti-socially will be made to pay for it.''

On March 15 a pile of rubbish, including tins of paint, was dumped at Yarmouth Business Park. Following an appeal on Facebook and using CCTV footage a man was traced and admitted the waste was his.

He said he gave the rubbish to someone else to dispose of and was handed a fixed penalty notice of £400 - which was reduced to £200 for quick payment. He was also ordered to pay the landowner £250 to clear up the site.

Helen Allinson, Group Estates Manager at Great Yarmouth Business Park, said: ''We would like to thank the council for their help in catching this individual. Thankfully, the security measures in place at the park helped ensure a successful outcome.''

On May 28 the council was alerted after a fridge freezer was dumped in a service road in Great Yarmouth. The man responsible was swiftly identified and claimed he had forgotten he'd put it there and took it home after being interviewed by officers. However, it had been there for about two weeks and he was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £1,000 for fly-tipping. This was reduced to £750 for quick payment.

Finally, on March 4, flooring and bedding was reported dumped beside a litter bin in the children's play area in Hawthorn Road, Gorleston. The waste was traced to a nearby property where a woman said she had arranged for someone to collect it from the play area because she didn't want it in her garden.

She was issued with a £1,000 fly-tipping fixed penalty notice that was reduced to £750 because she paid within ten days.

Councillor Wells said: ''Clearing up fly-tips puts a major strain on council resources and has to be paid for with taxpayers' money.

''We can all help prevent fly-tipping and do our bit to keep the borough tidy so we can take pride in our neighbourhoods.

''Please be aware of rogue waste collectors, if you use someone to remove your rubbish check they are registered on the Environment Agency's website, refuse unexpected offers to have it taken away, ask how your waste will be disposed of and don't forget to obtain paperwork. Don't let your waste get into the wrong hands and end up being fly-tipped - you could end up with a fine.''

Last year the council tackled about 4,500 incidents of illegally dumped waste and has five crews dedicated to dealing with fly-tipping across the borough. It has also been running successful community campaigns to help residents understand how to dispose of rubbish correctly.

Fly-tipping in the borough can be reported via the Love Clean Streets app or website, via e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 01493 846478.