BUILDERS waste ended up being fly-tipped on the edge of Melbourn after two casual workers were left to take it to a tip. The man who left the workers to do the job, Darren Paul David Coventon of Luton, was ordered to do 45 hours community service when he

BUILDERS' waste ended up being fly-tipped on the edge of Melbourn after two casual workers were left to take it to a tip.

The man who left the workers to do the job, Darren Paul David Coventon of Luton, was ordered to do 45 hours community service when he appeared at Ely Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

He was ordered to pay £300 costs to the Environment Agency and £75 to South Cambridgeshire District Council to pay for the clean up.

Last month he admitted contravening the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the bench adjourned the case for reports.

Magistrates were told that as the man in charge of the waste, he had a duty of care to ensure it was taken to a proper place for disposal, that he filled in the right paperwork, and that he gave it to a registered person to dispose of it.

The pile of builders' waste was discovered on a track, London Way, in Melbourn, and among it was a letter with an address in London.

The householder confirmed that he had had building work done, and gave the name of the contractor.

The contractor confirmed from photographs that it was the same rubbish, but said he had given it to Coventon.

Coventon told the bench he had borrowed a van from the contractor and removed some of the green waste, and the builders' rubbish was already in the van.

He left two casual workers he employed at his vehicle paint shop in Luton to take it to a tip, and gave them directions to the site. He said he did not given them any money to pay for the disposal of the waste.

The court heard that the site would not have been able to have taken building waste as it was for household waste, but any tip that took such waste charged about £40-a-tonne and there was more than three tonnes of waste.

The case was brought by the Environment Agency, but was investigated in partnership with the district council.

After the hearing, Environment Agency investigating officer David Block said: "Fly-tipping blights the Cambridgeshire countryside.

"I consider it a matter of principle that a prosecution is brought for all offences that lead to illegal dumping of waste.