A landlord from Hunstanton has been fined and given a criminal record over waste dumped 50 miles from the seaside town in Cambridgeshire.

Timber, mattresses, carpets, tiles and other household waste were removed from a property in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire as part of renovation works before the home was rented out again.

Evidence from the waste pile, dumped at Cottenham between Ely and Cambridge, was investigated by South Cambridgeshire council.

It found the owner was a landlord living in Hunstanton, who said a friend had been looking after the property.

However, he was unable to provide any contract of employment, or any other proof.

The man, who has not been named, admitted work had been carried out on the property and identified several items that were found in the waste as being from his address.

READ MORE: Norwich fly-tippers could be shamed in rogues' gallery

READ MORE: Fly-tipping figures make 'bleak reading'

READ MORE: More than 10,000 fly-tipping incidents in a year in Norfolk

He pleaded guilty to failing in his duty of care and was fined £400 with £1,000 costs, plus a criminal record, by magistrates.

South Cambridgeshire council said all businesses have a duty of care to ensure that any contractor removing waste from a property is checked against the Environment Agency registers for authorised waste carriers and that the correct paperwork is completed.

Henry Batchelor, its cabinet member for environmental services, said: "Fly-tipping is a blight on the local environment, a danger to public health and a hazard to wildlife. It also undermines legitimate waste businesses."

Annika Osborne, its councillor for the Cottenham ward, said: "We are really pleased that this action has been taken in our battle to rid our communities of the eyesore of fly-tipping.

"We hope this court case will act as a deterrent to other to this deeply anti-social criminal behaviour."

Cash-strapped councils forked out £11.6m cleaning up after fly-tippers last year.

The figure does not include the cost to private landowners for removing waste from their land.