A Hitchin pensioner has been handed a bill for more than £1,250 after eight sacks of his rubbish were dumped around the back of a Letchworth supermarket.

John Brewster, 72, admitted to Stevenage magistrates on Friday that he had failed to check he had given his rubbish to an authorised waste carrier. It had been fly-tipped behind Iceland in Cotton Brown Park.

He was fined £250 and ordered to pay £1,000.19 in costs, as well as a £25 victim surcharge – a total of £1,275.19.

The same day Stevenage magistrates heard a similar case involving Susan Jeeves, 56, from Arlesey. Eleven black sacks of her rubbish were found dumped in Norton Mill Lane, Baldock.

She pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a total of £1,362.18 – a £254 fine, £1,083.18 in costs and a £25 victim surcharge.

In both cases North Herts District Council environmental crime officers had traced the defendants using evidence found in the dumped waste.

Councillor Bernard Lovewell, who is responsibile for environmental health at the district council, said: “Why take the risk of getting a criminal record and a hefty fine for breaching the Environmental Protection Act when there are legal, cost effective and environmentally friendly ways to dispose of household waste?

“Householders have a legal obligation to ensure that waste produced on their property isn’t passed on to unauthorised persons. If you intend to use anyone other than the council to remove or transport your waste, check to make sure they are authorised to do so.”

For more on how to dispose of rubbish correctly, search for ‘fly-tipping’ or ‘bulky waste’ at north-herts.gov.uk, or contact the waste contractor Veolia on 0800 328 6023.