Woman handed hefty fine after dumping bags of rubbish at nature reserve

The 22-year-old, joined by a male passenger, was captured on CCTV taking "several" bags from her car and carrying it along a footpath leading to Doxey Marshes.

The carrier bags, filled with household rubbish, were later discovered discarded on the marshes.

The woman, from the Sandon Road area of the town, was handed fixed penalty notices (FPN) totalling £1,000 for the offence in January.

The CCTV footage was captured by a resident who shared it with Stafford Borough Council, which was then able to trace her.

Councillor Ian Fordham, cabinet member for environment, said: "Fly tipping, littering and other environmental crimes are a blight on our communities.

"They can cause environmental damage, they attract anti-social behaviour, make areas look untidy, and have an adverse impact on the quality of life for our residents.

"Most of our residents are disgusted when people fly tip in their community. But we do need the support of the public to help us clampdown on litter louts.

"I am grateful to the community-spirited resident who came forward to ensure we were able to find this fly tipper."

Stafford Borough Council has handed out ten fines already this year in response to a series of environmental offences.

The local authority increased fines for environmental crimes last month following a government crackdown on littering, graffiti and fly tipping.

People can report environmental crimes by contacting grimewatch@staffordbc.gov.uk or 01785 619000.