HOUSEHOLDERS across the Hambleton area are being warned that fly-tipping could cost them dearly.

From next week, new legislation will mean that anyone found dumping rubbish - or using an illegal operator to dump it for them - will face a fine of up to £5,000.

Changes to waste regulations give householders a responsibility to ensure that their rubbish is passed on to authorised carriers only.

Those carriers, including Hambleton District Council, can be found online in an Environment Agency register.

It is hoped the new regulations will help reduce the thousands of tonnes of household waste fly-tipped each year.

Last year, there were 500,000 instances of fly-tipping, with much of it dumped by operators posing as legitimate waste carriers.

"These new regulations mean all householders using an outside agency to dispose of waste for them must check they are using a registered collector, not someone who will take their cash and then dump the rubbish in the nearest hedgerow," said Hambleton council's cabinet member for citizenship, Bob Baker.

"These waste cowboys can make large amounts of money from unsuspecting householders. But if the rubbish can be traced back, it is the householder who will now be fined.

"But we also want to be able to catch these rogue fly-tippers. If everyone takes a hand in this, we can drive them out of business and, at the same time, save ourselves time and money clearing up after them.

"Much of the waste we find illegally dumped could have been disposed of free of charge at a household waste recycling centre."

* Authorised waste carriers can be found by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 or website www. environmentagency.gov.uk/ publicregister.