A FLY-TIPPER from Halesowen who buried his head in the sand when confronted with his littering has been fined over £1,000.

Shane Mole, of Mendip Road, was found guilty of dumping the rubbish on a garage site in Wood Road, Lower Gornal, in July 2010.

The case took three years to come to court as Mole repeatedly failed to respond to letters and legal notices.

He also failed to attend interviews about the issue.

Dudley Council officers had traced the rubbish back to addresses in Birmingham from where Mole had removed the waste.

He claimed a friend dumped the waste while letters and other correspondence from the council had been sent to his parents address rather than his.

But Dudley magistrates found the 30-year-old guilty at a hearing yesterday on Thursday, January 2.

Mole, who has a previous conviction for fly-tipping, was fined £350 for dumping the waste as well as £450 compensation.

He was also fined £100 for failing to provide information to the council and ordered to pay £250 costs, as well as a £45 victim surcharge. Mole has been given 14 days to hand over the £1,195 total.

Councillor Tracy Wood, cabinet member for environment and culture, said: “This prosecution sends out a clear message that we work hard to keep this borough clean and tidy.

She added: "This case has been a very long process because of the difficulties in contacting Mr Mole, but ultimately he has broken the law and is now left with a hefty fine through the courts.”