Three people have been fined over £1,000 each for failing to cooperate with a fly tipping investigation after huge amounts of rubbish in Medway were discovered.

Eight bin liners of clothes, bedding and paperwork found on Shawstead Way in Chatham led officers to Vineta Donika, of Institute Road.

After several attempts to contact the 19-year-old, the incident was referred to the Medway Magistrates’ Court where she was fined £1,000 and a £100 victim surcharge and £250 costs for failing to answer a section 108.

Donika did not attend the case on September 4.

Magistrates issued the same fines to Jade Miskin and Levi Stone, who both live on Greenhill Road, Northfleet.

Bank statements of the pair were found with household items in Common Lane, Cliffe on January of this year.

While officers made many efforts to contact both to gather information about the matter, and they did hear from Stone on one occasion, when the pair were invited to interview no response was received.

It included a child’s bike, scooter, and dog basket and took two tippers to clear the waste which had spilled on to the road and was causing a hazard for drivers.

Medway Council’s portfolio holder in charge of enforcement Cllr Jane Chitty said: “These three people all chose to ignore contact from council officers and the formal notices that were issued, so their cases were escalated.

“From the level of the fines handed down, it’s clear just how serious the offences are, highlighting the importance of assisting officers in their investigations.

“Even if you don’t fly tip waste yourself, if your details are found within the pile it’s imperative that you work with the council during the investigation.

“Fly tipping is totally unacceptable and we will continue to rigorously investigate incidents of this nature and prosecute the perpetrators.

“People who dump rubbish on our streets should be well and truly ashamed of themselves.”

The council clears around 467 tonnes of fly-tipped waste and almost 1,620 tonnes of litter from the streets every year – costing the taxpayer £4million.