A man who dumped a pile of rubbish in a St Budeaux back lane has been ordered to pay over £1,000.
Tristan Harper, 53, of Higher Efford Road, appeared before Plymouth Magistrates Court on Monday to answer for his crimes.
The court heard how in November 2019 Harper had been borrowing a garage from a friend in Evelyn Street.
Upon arriving at the garage to collect some waste for disposal, Harper came across a pile of wood already discarded in the back lane.
But instead of reporting what he had found, Harper took his chance to add to the pile and dumped a car parcel shelf and a pole on top and an old fridge/freezer and a dumpy bag of waste nearby.
However, Harper was undone by a neighbour's CCTV, which not only caught sight of the number plate of his van, but provided clear pictures of Harper depositing the waste himself.
On the basis of this evidence, the Council sent Harper a fixed penalty notice for £400 but when it went unpaid, he was summonsed to court.
Pleading guilty, Harper was given a fine of £400 and ordered to pay a further £845 in investigation and legal costs. He must also stump up for a £40 victim surcharge, leaving him with a total bill of £1,285.
Councillor Sally Haydon, Cabinet member for Customer Focus and Community Safety, said: "This man thought he could get away with dumping his stuff in a back lane.
"He thought he could get away with not going to the recycling centre like everyone else; that he could get away with disrespecting the residents of Evelyn Street.
"But he didn't get away with it and nor will others who try and do the same.
"I say this every time but I won't tire of saying it: Do not fly-tip. If you do, we will pursue you and we will punish you."
Many of the Council's prosecutions for environmental crime are only possible when residents get in contact to report a crime and give evidence.
You can report fly-tipping online at www.plymouth.gov.uk/reportflytipping