A ROGUE van driver who illegally dumped waste in a Halesowen park has landed a court bill of more than £800.

Aaron Cox, of St John’s Road, Halesowen, duped a resident into paying £50 to have her waste removed properly.

But he later dumped the black bags, garden waste and other rubbish on land in Hawne Park, in April this year.

The waste was traced back to the resident who said she had paid Cox to properly dispose of it. The 34-year-old was also found to be carrying the rubbish in his van without a proper licence.

He admitted dumping the waste and not having the correct licence to carry it at Dudley magistrates court last Thursday. He was fined £200, ordered to pay £410 costs, £180 criminal court charge and £20 victim surcharge.

Councillor Hilary Bills, cabinet member for environmental services, said: “The council does not dump rubbish but the taxpayer ends up footing the bill. People can help us tackle this sort of crime by becoming the eyes and ears of their area and reporting issues to us in line with our ‘love you community’ campaign.

“I would also urge people if they are paying to have waste removed that they check the company has the correct licence to carry waste.”

People can report incidents of fly-tipping to the council in a number of ways including the ‘report it’ section of the council’s website at www.dudley.gov.uk or by calling Dudley Council Plus on 0300 555 2345.

People can also use the Dudley Council smartphone app which is available to download free.