COUNCIL officers warn they will continue to crackdown on flytipping after a hidden camera caught culprits red-handed as they dumped waste at a troubled beauty spot.

Paul Kitching faces fines and court costs of more than £600 after pleading guilty at Peterlee Magistrates Court to dumping waste and rubble on the Durham County Council land.

Kitching, of Gloucester Place, Peterlee, was one of two men captured on CCTV leaving the waste near a pond in Shotton Colliery.

Companion, Gary John Colledge, 25, of Eden Lane, Peterlee, was found guilty of breaching environmental laws following a two-hour hearing in March. He had denied the charge.

Kitching, 25, gave evidence at Colledge’s trial saying he was the other man in the film footage and, as a result, the council pursued a conviction against him also.

Both men claimed that they had been approached by a man who had asked if they would use the rubble, which was in the back of their van, to fill a hole on the track to the pond.

They said they did not know the name of the man but believed he had authority to allow them to leave the waste.

However, the court was told the council had not given anyone permission to dump the waste in the area or fill the potholes.

Oliver Sherratt, county council head of direct services, said: “Co-ordinated action by the council and its partners has helped reduce the number of incidents we have had to deal with by 20 per cent during the last four years.

“However, we are far from complacent and continue to crack down on those responsible for this blight in our communities, using a variety of methods from stop and search operations to CCTV.”

To report flytipping, contact Durham County Council’s streetscene on 03000 26 1000.