A Croydon builder has landed himself in trouble after trade waste belonging to him was illegally dumped after he employed an unidentified man to dispose of it.

Marius Mihaescu, 45, of Shirley Road admitted that he had employed the services of someone he knew only as Michael to remove and dispose of waste.

He also admitted that he did not check if Michael was registered with the Environment Agency authorising him to carry the waste and that no paperwork was completed.

Mihaescu attended High Wycombe Magistrates on September 13 and pleaded guilty to failing in his duty of care.

The court heard that in April 2017, a large amount of waste was found illegally dumped at Handy Cross, High Wycombe and on investigation evidence was found linking some of the waste with Mihaescu.

The Magistrates fined Mihaescu £305, ordered him to pay full costs incurred by Buckinghamshire County Council of £1,000, a victim surcharge of £30 was levied and £215 compensation to be paid to High Wycombe District Council for the clear-up. This left him with a total bill of £1,550.

Wycombe District Council Julia Adey, speaking on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: “This is a great example of the diligence of our officers in tracing the source of illegal waste and following through to a conviction - and it's a stark reminder to tradespeople to ensure that trade waste is disposed of properly - an unidentified 'man with a van' is not sufficient."