People are being warned not to pay "shady criminals" to dispose of their rubbish after a fly-tipper who dumped fridge-freezers was fined £1,000.

The man also admitted to jettisoning wooden pallets and furniture in Bogshole Lane, Broomfield, after collecting them from a business nearby.

He was also stopped on two occasions by police and Canterbury City Council enforcement officers conducting joint operations in Herne Bay and Whitstable.

Council leader Robert Thomas said: “Everyone is sick to the back teeth of those who make serious amounts of money from dumping rubbish in verges, down country lanes and by the side of the road.

“Their actions blight our gorgeous corner of the garden of England all to make a quick buck.

“Our enforcement officers are working closely with their colleagues in the police to catch these people and hit them in their pockets - the only language they really understand.

“They will not know when our next joint operation will take place or where we will be waiting for them, but we will be waiting.”

The authority issued the man, who is from Herne Bay, with fixed penalty notices worth £600 for failing to keep proper records of the waste he had collected from households.

He was issued with a further £400 fine for the dumping in Bogshole Lane.

The council’s head of safer neighbourhoods, Doug Rattray, is warning residents to make sure that they are not paying “shady criminals” to dispose of their rubbish.

“We are determined to catch the people who fly-tip rubbish across the district,” he explained.

“While shady criminals make money from acting illegally, our council taxpayers or landowners foot the bill for the clean-up, which is clearly unfair.

"Everyone is sick to the back teeth of those who make serious amounts of money from dumping rubbish in verges, down country lanes and by the side of the road..."

“If we find your rubbish dumped by the side of the road, in a lay-by, in the woods or anywhere else, we will be knocking on your door and asking you to prove you paid a licensed carrier to take it away.

“A receipt, invoice or other paperwork is a good start as well making a note of the truck or van’s registration.”

People or businesses who collect, transport, buy, sell or dispose of waste must be registered and have a licence from the Environment Agency - which they can show their customers.

Residents should check whether the person collecting their waste is legitimate by clicking here.

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here

Read more: All the latest news from Herne Bay