Brighton fly-tipper filmed dumping pile of waste from truck

Mark Bott has now been ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work after being tracked down from the footage captured at High Park Farm in Ditchling Road and Denton Drive in Hollingbury.

The 32-year-old, of Gordon Road in Brighton, plead guilty to the two offences at Brighton Magistrates' Court and was ordered to pay costs of £180.

Footage of the 36-year-old's fly-tipping has now been released by Brighton and Hove City Council.

In the video, he reverses into an open space at High Park Farm and climbs out of his truck before appearing to inspect some nearby bushes.

While doing this, he looked directly at the camera but continues about his illicit activity regardless.

Bizarrely, he picks up a branch from the ground and chucks it into the back of the vehicle before getting back into the driver's seat, lifting the hydraulic tailgate and sending rubbish cascading to the ground.

• READ MORE: Brighton litter cops 'get serious' as lockdown measures ease

Then, without lowering the tailgate, he pulls away.

After studying the footage, environmental enforcement officers and Sussex Police were able to track Bott down by finding his distinctive truck.

Speaking to police and environmental enforcement officers, Bott admitted to both the High Park Farm in Ditchling Road and Denton Drive (below) offences.

Mark Bott dumped waste in Denton Drive

In court, Bott claimed that he would only be able to pay a small fine due to his financial situation.

As a result, he was given a community order instead of a large fine as his punishment - fly-tippers are usually slapped with a £300 fine.

His lorry has also been impounded.

Max Smith, the council’s environmental enforcement manager, said: “Fly-tipping is a very serious offence. It damages the environment and is harmful to wildlife.

• READ MORE: More than £35,000 fly-tipping fines in Brighton over lockdown

"It also costs the council large sums of money to clear up that we then can’t spend on other measures to improve the city.

"We are taking a proactive approach to tackle the problem.

"We recently installed mobile CCTV and number plate recognition cameras at some of the city’s worst dumping grounds that are helping the council to catch and prosecute offenders.

The waste was dumped from the back of a truck

"Since the installation in mid-October this year we’ve caught almost 70 people fly-tipping their waste instead of disposing of it properly and legally."

Bott is one of four people to have been found guilty at Brighton Magistrates for fly-tipping in recent months.

Patricia Twomey of Flat 8, Grand Parade in Brighton was caught by environmental enforcement officers fly-tipping in the street she lives.

The 63-year-old was fined a total of £2,460 plus costs of £450 and a £181 victim surcharge, totalling £3,271.

Kudakwashe Madzivanyika, 36, of Kam Trading Ltd in Gordon Road, Fishergate, was found guilty of fly-tipping rubbish from his business at West Hove Sainsbury's Recycling Point.

Kam Trading was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of £2,000, costs of £450 and a £181 victim surcharge, totalling £2,631.  

Bott then pulled away without lowering the truck's hydraulic tailgate

Finally, Alice Revel of the Ampersand Book Co Ltd in Kingsway House, Church Road, Hove, was found fly-tipping commercial waste in Osbourne Villas.

Ampersand Book Co Ltd was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of £3,000, £450 costs and a £181 victim surcharge, a total of £3,631.

Environmental enforcement manager Max said: “There are many lawful ways to dispose of unwanted items including taking them to one of the city’s two household waste recycling sites or by giving them away free on sites and apps like Freegle or Olio.”