A MAN who stopped in a layby near Skipton to relieve himself before then dumping several bags of garden waste was caught on CCTV cameras, heard magistrates.

Stuart Robinson, fell victim to Craven District Council's zero tolerance Cleaner Craven campaign when he pulled up at the layby off the A59 near Priors Lane, the Skipton court was told.

As a fly-tipping hotspot, the council had installed CCTV cameras and Robinson was filmed at about 10pm on Sunday, May 28, taking ten plastic bin liners out of the boot of his car before leaving them on a verge, the court heard.

Lisa lord, prosecuting for the council, said Robinson was traced from the registration number of his black Vauxhall Astra and invited to the council for an interview, but did not attend.

Mrs Lord asked for £500 to cover the costs of officers' time and legal costs, and for £48 to clean up the site.

Robinson, 54, of Dracup Road, Bradford, who admitted depositing waste without the appropriate permit, told the court the rubbish was not actually his, and had been put into his car by someone else.

"I cannot really give an explanation, I needed to urinate and I tipped the bags onto the verge. They came from someone else's garden, I don't even have a garden. I went to someone's house and he put them in my car and asked me to get rid of them."

Magistrates fined Robinson £80 and ordered him to pay costs of £548 and a surcharge of £30.

After the court hearing, Paul Ellis, the council's director of services, said: “We’re delighted to have brought this successful prosecution. This is the first case we have brought where evidence has been obtained from the mobile cameras we have placed at various locations across the district.This sends a clear message to people travelling through Craven, and to residents and businesses of Craven, that we have zero tolerance towards fly-tipping. We hope this case will underline the fact that the council takes fly tipping seriously and that we will not tolerate environmental crime anywhere in our beautiful district.”

The council's Operation: Cleaner Craven campaign, launched in November, last year, targets those responsible for fly-tipping in addition to dog fouling, littering, smoking in smoke free places, stray dogs and abandoned vehicles. Fly-tipping alone cost the council nearly £11,000 in clean up costs in 2015.

In order to combat fly-tipping, the council installed cameras and warning notices at hotspots across the district. To report an environmental crime, call the council on 01756 700 600, or online at: cravendc.gov.uk/article/5883/Reporting-an-Environmental-Crime