Man fined after failing to cooperate with fly tipping investigation in Andover
A man has been ordered to pay more than £1,400 after failing to comply with a legal notice linked to a fly tipping investigation in Andover.
On 23 June 2025, a quantity of waste was discovered unlawfully dumped on Watery Lane. Information within the fly-tip led officers to Oliver Poulton, from Andover.
Poulton was invited to attend an interview under caution but failed to do so. Officers then served a formal Notice under Section 108 of the Environment Act 1995, requiring him to attend a further interview. Despite being properly served and given reasonable opportunity to attend, Poulton again failed to engage and did not offer any explanation or request a new date.
Appearing at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on 10 February 2026, Poulton pleaded guilty and was given a £500 fine, along with a £200 victim surcharge and £736 in costs, bringing the total to £1,436.
Councillor David Drew, portfolio holder for recycling and environmental services at Test Valley Borough Council, said: “When people choose not to engage with our investigations, it slows us down and puts extra pressure on the teams who work hard to protect our environment. Fly tipping and the issues linked to it impact everyone. We rely on residents to cooperate so we can gather the facts quickly and deal with offences fairly and effectively. Our communities expect us to tackle waste crime, and cases like this show that we’ll continue to follow through when someone doesn’t meet their responsibilities. We want Test Valley to remain a clean, safe and welcoming place, and we’ll keep taking firm but fair action to make sure that happens.”
Residents can report fly tipping online at www.testvalley.gov.uk/fly-tipping.