A WINSFORD woman has been taken to court and ordered to pay a total of £655 after being prosecuted for fly-tipping.

Sharon Cook, of Lulworth Close, was prosecuted for the fly-tipping of 10 bags of rubbish on a grassed area near Radcliffe Road.

An investigation was started in February 2017 when the Council’s Regulatory Services team received an anonymous report of fly-tipping, and the waste was traced to Ms Cook.

Despite three letters requesting an interview, he 49-year-old failed to contact Regulatory Services officers regarding the matter.

Last month Chester Magistrates’ Court issued a warrant for her arrest and, on August 9, Ms Cook received a fine of £225 for the fly-tipping offence and was also ordered to pay costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £30.

Councillor Karen Shore, cabinet member for environment, said: “Following previous successful prosecutions, this case will hopefully act as a deterrent to potential offenders and make them think twice before fly-tipping waste.

“Sadly, some people still think they can dispose of rubbish wherever they want causing problems for residents and draining Council services.

“We will continue with a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tippers, and they should remember that in some cases they can be sent to the Crown Court, where the penalty is up to five years imprisonment.”

If you discover illegal tipping of waste or see it being tipped, support the Council’s Street Care Pledge and report it 24 hours a day on the Council’s website, via Twitter using @Go_Cheshirewest or in person at any of the council’s customer service centres.