A WOMAN caught twice by CCTV dumping a gazebo and rabbit hutch at a council-owned recycling site in Basingstoke has been ordered to pay £874.

Kerry Bugg, of Old Kempshott Lane, in Kempshott, was prosecuted by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council after her vehicle was captured twice by surveillance equipment at a recycling site at the Winklebury Centre, in Winklebury, in March 2023.

Basingstoke Magistrates' Court heard that 43-year-old Bugg dumped a metal gazebo frame on Saturday, March 18 before returning on Friday, March 24 to dump a large wooden rabbit hutch.

All of the items were left on the ground in front of the recycling banks.

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Bugg pleaded guilty to both fly-tipping offences at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, November 7. She was ordered to pay fines totalling £160, as well as £650 in costs and a £64 victim surcharge.

Cameras were installed at all six council-owned recycling sites last November as part of a pilot project to help reduce fly-tipping in Basingstoke and Deane, with funding from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Since they have been installed, there has been a reduction in the amount of fly-tipping at these sites.

This is the council’s second successful prosecution using evidence provided through the surveillance equipment.

Evidence from these cameras has also supported council officers to issue 45 fixed penalty notices, five written warnings, and one formal caution.

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Cabinet member for residents’ services and housing, Cllr Laura James, said: “Cases like this underline the importance of people understanding that our recycling sites must only be used for recycling, and not for dumping household items.

“With surveillance equipment in place at these sites, leaving items either on top of the bins or on the ground is likely to result in a criminal record and a fine so please don’t take the risk.

“We will continue to support our residents with waste disposal and recycling unwanted items, but where necessary will use the evidence provided by these cameras to enforce the rules.”

More information on how to dispose of or recycle household items can be found at basingstoke.gov.uk/a-z-waste-and-recycling.