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Man ordered to pay over £1,000 after boxes of hand sanitiser left on Romsey farm

A number of large boxes containing hand sanitiser that were dumped on a farm near Romsey have led to a man being fined and ordered to pay over £1,000.

Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) received a report from a farm owner on 21 April 2023, reporting a fly-tip on their land in Awbridge.

CCTV footage shared with TVBC officers showed a man removing boxes from his vehicle and throwing them onto the farmland. 14 large boxes containing hand sanitiser were found.

Following a DVLA search, Walter Smith, 73, from Romsey, attended an interview under caution where he admitted to the offence.

Appearing at Southampton Magistrates Court on 27 October 2023, Smith was given a fine of £480 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £192 and costs of £649.22.

Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, Councillor David Drew, said: “We have an excellent record of catching fly-tippers across the borough and my thanks goes to the landowner who reported this incident and to our hard-working teams who achieved this result. There is never an excuse for fly-tipping and there are plenty of ways to dispose of your waste properly in Test Valley.”