Man avoids jail after dumping horsebox in South Wiltshire
Mark Rutterford from Dorset has been told pay thousands of pounds in compensation
A man has been ordered to pay almost £5,000 after avoiding a jail sentence for fly-tipping a horsebox in South Wiltshire.
Mark Rutterford, of Highview Gardens in Poole, admitted to dumping the horsebox, which contained waste, and blocking a private residential driveway on the A354 in Rockbourne.
He was given a 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, as well as being told to pay £4,837.70 in compensation and costs.
Wiltshire Council's Environment Enforcement Officers were first alerted to the horsebox being dumped in October 2024 and when they arrived, they discovered the horsebox in the middle of a private driveway, preventing the residents from accessing their property.
Mr Rutterford initially denied responsibility, stating instead that two individuals had offered to take it away for him.
But he later admitted that was a lie and he had dumped the horsebox on the driveway.
Due to the inconvenience being caused to the local resident, a decision was made to urgently remove the fly-tip, at a cost to the council of £1525.70, and to pursue a criminal prosecution.
Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street scene and Flooding, said: "I would like to thank our Enforcement Team for acting swiftly in this extreme case of fly-tipping and for bringing Mr Rutterford to justice. The sentence he has been given today shows just how serious this case was, and the inconvenience and stress caused to the residents by his actions.
"Fly-tipping is a blight to our beautiful Wiltshire countryside and can have serious consequences. In this instance, residents were unable to enter or leave their own house due to the horsebox blocking their driveway, and emergency services would not have been able to get to them if required.
"We take fly-tipping very seriously in Wiltshire, and I hope this sends a clear message to anyone thinking about fly-tipping - we will not hesitate to prosecute."