A woman has been ordered to pay more than £700 in fines and court costs after her rubbish was fly-tipped.

In March 2024, nine bags of household waste were found on private land at Carbean, near St Austell. The rubbish was traced back to a property in Stenalees, less than a mile away from where it was dumped.

When officers from Cornwall Council’s Community Protection team visited the address, Samantha Rosevear claimed she had paid someone she found on Facebook to collect the rubbish and dispose of it.

Rosevear was asked whether she checked if the person she paid to remove the waste had a waste carrier’s licence, and to provide their contact details. She was also asked to provide copies of messages regarding the arrangement.

Despite repeated requests, Rosevear failed to provide the Council with the required information. In July 2024, she was served with a legal notice requiring her to assist the Council officers with their investigation, which she ignored. The case was therefore brought to court.

On Monday, November 24, Rosevear, of Warren Court, Stenalees, appeared at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to two offences - failing to comply with her householder’s duty of care for the transfer of her household waste to a licenced waste collector (The Environmental Protection Act 1990) and failing to assist an enforcement officer of Cornwall Council with their enquires into how the waste was disposed (The Environment Act 1995).

The 37-year-old was ordered to pay a total of £712.24 in fines and court costs. She was fined a total of £240 (£120 for each offence) and ordered to pay £96 in victim surcharges (£48 for each offence).

The landowner was awarded £126.24 for the cost of clearing the waste and Cornwall Council was awarded £250 towards its court costs.

Councillor Thalia Marrington, cabinet member with responsibility for community safety and public protection at Cornwall Council, said: “This individual had multiple opportunities to provide the information requested and cooperate with our investigation. She chose to ignore our requests, which resulted in her being prosecuted for her actions.

“Fly-tipping and littering can have serious environmental consequences and costs Cornish taxpayers and landowners hundreds of thousands of pounds to clear up every year.

“When these types of offences do occur, we will always investigate and take action against those responsible.”

For those paying for someone to dispose of waste, they can check if they have the appropriate waste carrier’s licence by searching the public register on the Environment Agency’s website.