A Northumberland man has been fined for fly-tipping garden waste illegally in Lynemouth following an investigation by Northumberland County Council. 
 

William McPhee, 23, of Lily Avenue, Bedlington pleaded guilty at Newcastle Magistrates Court on Friday 27th October 2023 of fly-tipping waste in a field at the North Side of Deneside, Lynemouth. 
 

He was sentenced to a fine of £480 reduced to £320 for his early guilty plea for the offence, ordered to pay £381 in costs and a victim surcharge of £34 - a total financial penalty of £735. 
 

During May 2022 Northumberland County Council received reports that a large amount of garden waste had been fly-tipped on land in the middle of a farmer's field at the North Side of Deneside, Lynemouth. 
 

Officers from the council’s Environmental Enforcement Team were instructed to investigate.  McPhee, who was identified as the culprit was called in for interview with the County Council’s enforcement officers but failed to attend both scheduled interviews.  
 

Northumberland County Councillor Gordon Stewart, Cabinet member for Looking After our Communities said: 

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to fly tipping which damages the environment and is extremely time consuming and costly to investigate and clean up.  
 

“This prosecution is another example of how our environmental protection and street cleansing teams are taking a strong stance against fly-tipping and hope it sends the message that we will pursue these individuals, wherever they live, and will not hesitate to take action against them.” 
 

“This waste could easily have been taken to one of our nearby Household Waste Recovery Centres. There is no excuse for fly-tipping.”