A skip hire company has been ordered to pay nearly £3,000 after handing waste to a bogus haulier, which led to fly-tipping.

A&A Skip Hire, based in Hastingwood trading estate in Edmonton, gave two loads of waste to a haulier claiming to be Acorns Wood Recycling.

But the haulier had no Environment Agency permit and no trace of the company could be found, Peterborough magistrates' court heard.

Environment Agency launched an investigation after waste was found dumped in two areas next to the A10 in Cambridgeshire - at the southbound Lazy Otter lay-by, and in a lay-by south of Little Thetford.

The government body traced the waste back to A&A Skip Hire.

The court heard that on two occasions in February 2017, A&A Skip Hire failed to check the waste transfer notices, failed to check the legitimacy of the haulier and failed to make proper enquiries about where the waste would be taken.

The company denied two breaches of environmental law. But district judge Ken Sheraton found the company guilty of both offences after a hearing at Peterborough magistrates' court on October 14.

The company was fined £1,400 and ordered £1,540 in costs and victim surcharge.

After the hearing, Environment Agency operations manager Phil Henderson said: "When the Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice is breached, the fate of waste, often in large quantities, falls to chance and can often end up fly-tipped with an impact on the environment, and expensive clean-up costs that often fall to the public purse.

“All waste handlers have a legal responsibility to make sure waste is only passed to legitimate and licensed carriers, and to take all reasonable steps to prevent the scourge of fly-tipping in our communities.

“We rely on members of the public to be our eyes and ears, and to report any waste activity that appears unusual or suspicious. This can be done anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60."