A FORMER pub owner who illegally dumped her waste because she could not afford to have it properly collected has been ordered to pay more than £2,000 after being convicted of fly-tipping.

Jalpa Patel, 35 and of Cranford Drive, Hayes, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and failing to dispose of waste correctly during a hearing at Worcester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday November 2.

She was fined £1,000, ordered to pay costs of £970 and a statutory surcharge of £100.

Wychavon District Council received reports in March this year of commercial waste dumped at locations in Bredons Norton and Overbury. In total 24 bags of waste were fly-tipped.

Investigations led officers to the Teddington Hands Inn in Teddington near Tewkesbury.

When asked to explain her actions in court, Patel said she had been running the pub on her own whilst her husband was working elsewhere and had run into financial difficulties.

As a result she had been unable to afford her commercial trade waste agreement and as her waste was building up she decided to dump it.

Mrs Patel apologised for her actions and said she was no longer running the pub. She was given credit for taking full responsibility for the fly-tip and her previous good character.

Cllr Emma Stokes, executive board member for environment on Wychavon District Council, said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on our beautiful countryside and there is no excuse for it.

"We’re pleased with the sentence in this case which sends a strong message that Wychavon will not tolerate people dumping their rubbish all over our district and will not hesitate to prosecute offenders.”

For more information on how to report flytipping go to www.wychavon.gov.uk/flytipping