A fly tipper who dumped rubbish in Northumberland has been brought to justice following an investigation by environmental enforcement officers at Northumberland County Council. 
 

John Joe Maughan, 28, of Riversdale House, Oaklands, Stakeford, has been ordered to pay a total of £748 by Newcastle Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to two fly tipping offences earlier this year. 
 

On Friday 3rd November he was sentenced to a fine of £480 reduced to £320 for an early guilty plea for the two offences, ordered to pay £300 in costs and a victim surcharge of £128 making a total financial penalty of £748. 
 

During the last week of December 2022 Northumberland County Council received reports that a large amount of household waste had been fly-tipped on land at the south side of Lyneburn Cottage Travellers' Site, Lynemouth, Northumberland. Officers from the council’s Environmental Enforcement Team went to investigate and had the waste removed from the area. 
 

In the first week of January 2023 the same officer discovered that a large amount of household waste of a similar nature had been fly-tipped on land at Potland Burn, off Longhirst Road, Northumberland and the waste was subsequently removed.  
 

Maughan who was identified as the culprit attended an interview under caution and fully admitted the offences stating that he had been paid to remove the waste from a property but did not have a permit so dumped it illegally in two separate locations. 
 

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

“This is the second successful prosecution we have carried out this month and highlights our zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping. 
 

“It is a blight on our beautiful county and costs time and money to clear up. Thankfully in this instance Mr Maughan will be footing the bill, not the council tax-payer. “ 
 

To find your nearest Household Waste Recovery Centre (tip) and opening times go to nland.cc/waste 
 

If you are using an independent waste carrier you should always ask to see the operator’s waste carrier licence, issued by the Environment Agency. 
 

This is really important because, if you make the mistake of employing an unlicensed waste carrier and they dump your waste illegally - you could also be fined along with them. 
 

Be wary of businesses that only operate through social media, don’t have a landline phone number or business address and anyone coming to your door offering to remove rubbish on the cheap. 
 

How to check a waste carrier is reputable  

Visit the Environment Agency's waste carrier register and enter the business name or, search for licensed waste operators near you on the public register's pages of the website.