One man has been fined after an estimated 25 loads of waste was dumped at a Bucks beauty spot.

Investigators from the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire responded to reports of the dumped waste at Colne Valley Regional Park in Denham, on December 16 last year.

In a thorough search of the dumped loads, the waste was tracked back to a cafe in Wandsworth that had just undergone refurbishment.

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The cafe owner soon pointed the finger at 29-year-old Dennis Proctor, of St Charles Square, London.

Mr Proctor claimed to be a professional waste carrier and had carried waste from the cafe in two parts, the first of which he disposed of lawfully.

The second lot, including food waste, was given to another carrier who he wouldn't identify for fear of reprisals.

He admitted failing in his commercial duty of care with the waste he carried and which was found dumped illegally beside the lake. Magistrates fined him £430, ordered him to pay clean-up charges, investigation and legal fees of £1,099.46, along with a victim surcharge of £43 - a total penalty of £1,572.46.

Investigators returned to the lakeside and found food waste just as Mr Proctor had described.

They also checked automatic number plate readings for his vehicle, which showed he had not driven to the dump site.

As he was unwilling to help identify the carrier who dumped the second lot of waste, Mr Proctor shouldered the blame and was prosecuted for his failure in duty of care, which required him to take reasonable measures to avoid the waste being fly-tipped by a third party and which he had not done.

The cafe owner was cautioned as he was unable to prove he had fully complied with his own duty of care.

The lakeside at which Mr Proctor's waste was found dumped is part of a wider investigation in partnership with the Environment Agency to root out other suspected dumpers.

Bill Chapple OBE, Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “Waste crime costs us all a huge amount in environmental damage and in clean-up costs. Let this case be a lesson for anyone who doesn't check their waste carrier's licence. We have very determined investigators who are thorough in finding evidence to identify flytippers.

"The best protection against the criminals is not to pay cash but insist on an online payment, which is traceable."