A couple from Chatteris who decided to dump a television by the side of the road in Chatteris rather than take it to a recycling centre just a 20 minute drive away have been ordered to pay over £1,200 by Fenland District Council.

Steve and Emma Jackson were reported by an eye witness for dumping the television at Stocking Drove, Chatteris - which is located just 12 miles away from the Witchford recycling centre - in June 2015.

The pair admitted the offence when they appeared at Peterborough Magistrates Court last month and were ordered to pay a total of £1,280 - £640 each - in fines, compensation and costs.

It brings the number of successful fly-tipping prosecutions brought by Fenland District Council within the last year to six. Another six people have been issued with £200 fixed penalty notices.

Councillor Peter Murphy, the council’s Cabinet member responsible for the environment, said: “This again shows our determination to take action against fly-tippers whenever we have enough evidence.

“It remains a big problem here as it does in the rest of the country. We will continue to prosecute people involved in the most serious cases. At the same time, taking people to court is costly and time-consuming, so in more minor cases issuing fixed penalty notices is a quicker and simpler alternative.

“We do need the public’s help with this. We urge anyone who sees any incidents to report them to us immediately and provide us with any information they can.”