The woman admitted failing in her duty of care as a householder regarding the waste which had been dumped illegally.

The court heard that on Monday 17th November 2014 a large amount of household rubbish in sacks was found dumped in woodland near her home.

When investigators from the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire examined the sacks they found correspondence belonging to the woman.

Interviewed later the woman denied dumping the waste and said she had paid ‘men with a van’ to remove it. She had not checked their credentials and could do nothing to help investigators trace them.

In addition to the £200 fine the magistrates ordered her to pay clean-up and prosecution costs of £650 and a victim surcharge of £20 – making a total to pay of £870.

The case was brought by Buckinghamshire County Council on behalf of the Waste Partnership.

Since launching their ‘Illegal Dumping Costs campaign’ in November 2003 the Waste Partnership have had 499 convictions against individuals and companies for illegal dumping and related offences.

On average, there is at one conviction per week for illegal dumping offences in Buckinghamshire. This has resulted in a halving of reported incidents and a saving of more than £1 million for residents.

Flytipping can be reported by uploading details, including location and photos, online or on a smart phone at www.buckscc.gov.uk/fly.