A TEENAGER who dumped black bin bags full of car parts in a quiet country lane has been handed a £500 fine.

Dale Horwood admitted one count of fly-tipping rubbish in Lower Blackberry Lane, off Grenoble Road on the edge of Oxford, in June last year. Environmental officers from South Oxfordshire District Council said they traced the 19-year-old after finding evidence linking him to the rubbish.

They said after finding the bin bags they interviewed his friend who confirmed the pair had been making modifications to cars and Horwood had offered to take the rubbish away in his van.

Horwood initially denied having access to the vehicle and dumping the bags, but officers said documents proved he was insured to drive the van and that he had sent a text message to his friend admitting he had dumped the black bags and other rubbish.

Pictures from the scene, taken by enforcement officers, show planks of wood, a mattress and bags of rubbish dumped by a gate down the lane.

Appearing at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Monday last week Horwood, of Cowley Road, Oxford, admitted one count of disposing of controlled waste without an environmental permit.

Magistrates handed him a £500 fine and ordered him to pay £1,237 in court costs as well as a £50 victim surcharge.

South Oxfordshire’s leader for waste, food safety and environmental health Cllr Tony Harbour welcomed the sentence.

He added: “Fly-tipping is a real scourge for many rural communities.

“There’s really no excuse for dumping rubbish illegally because we offer a bulky waste collection from your doorstep or you can take your rubbish to a waste and recycling centre which does not cost much and really doesn’t take much time or effort, and this case just goes to show that it’s likely to end up costing you a lot more in the long run.

“If you arrange for someone to dispose of waste on your behalf please make sure they are licensed to do so, because if they do not get rid of it legally you may also be held responsible.”