A MAN twice caught on camera dumping waste has been ordered to pay a total of £390 by magistrates.

Footage taken from a CCTV camera showed a car registered to Darren Walters stop at an isolated spot in the Pit Lane area of Brandon, the court heard.

It showed a man getting out and removing a wooden table and chairs, bags of waste and pieces of metal and dumping it on the Durham County Council-owned land.

The camera also recorded the car returning ten minutes later when the man deposited a second load of waste.

Darren Walters, of Lowlands Road, Brandon, appeared before Peterlee magistrates to plead guilty to flytipping.

The 39-year-old said he didn't know why he had committed the offence and had never done anything similar before. He described his actions as stupid and said he had learnt his lesson.

He was fined £80 and ordered to pay £290.32 costs plus a victim surcharge of £20.

Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “Flytipping has a significant effect on the local environment, causing problems for the natural, social and economic environment.

“It is a major concern for residents and an issue that we are determined to tackle. We currently have 28 individual investigations ongoing, some of which some have already been lodged for taking to court.

“As well as warning people of the potential consequences of they are caught illegally dumping waste, we’re also asking residents to make sure that anyone they ask to remove their waste has the correct paperwork to do so.”

The court hearing follows the launch earlier this month of Durham County Council’s biggest ever crackdown on the illegal dumping of waste.

Operation Stop It sees the council working in partnership with Durham Constabulary, Crimestoppers and the Environment Agency to target flytippers and ensure householders understand their responsibilities in making sure their waste is disposed of properly.

During the 2012/13 financial year, the authority received 5,827 reports of flytipping and it cost in excess of £500,000 to investigate and deal with them.

People can report flytipping by contacting Durham County Council on 03000 26 1000 or at www.durham.gov.uk/flytipping