An illegal waste transporter has been fined thousands of pounds after a police chase.

Mat Jackson, from Eastchurch, was spotted in his flatbed lorry with a large load of waste, including scrap metal, on the A249.

After a pursuit officers caught up with the 32-year-old in a scrap metal site off of Eurolink Way in Sittingbourne.

They carried out vehicle checks and discovered the Warden Road resident was transporting the waste without a licence and could not produce a transfer note.

He was issued with two fixed penalty notices for these offences, which he failed to pay.

The case was taken to Medway Magistrates’ Court on Friday, February 9 and he pleaded guilty to transporting controlled waste on the highway without being a licensed waste carrier and failing to produce waste transfer notes.

In total Jackson was fined £2,090 – £500 for each offence, £470 investigation costs, £220 legal costs and £400 victim surcharge.

The incident happened in May last year during a joint operation between Kent Police’s rural task force and Swale council called Op Assist.

Cllr Rich Lehmann, the chair of the Environment Committee, said: “This case shows why we carry out operations like Op Assist with Kent Police.

“A legitimate waste collection service should have no issue with getting a licence and completing the appropriate paperwork, such as transfer notes, to show they are disposing of waste responsibly.

“Fly-tipping is not only detrimental to the environment, but it takes up officers’ time and our resources, not to mention the cost of cleaning up someone else’s selfishly dumped waste.

“Please be wary of cheap services, always make sure they have a licence and get a transfer note, because if any tipped waste is tracked back to you, you could also be facing fines.

“If we work together to stop fly-tippers, by not providing them with the waste in the first place, and disposing of our own waste responsibly, we can make Swale a cleaner place.”