A waste collector who dumped a large pile of plastic and general rubbish has had his licence to transport rubbish revoked.

In February, Peter Carpel of Gobions Avenue, Romford, was convicted of fly-tipping plastic and general waste close to Upper Rainham Road, Hornchurch, and was sentenced to 60 hours of unpaid work as well as paying costs and a victim surcharge, which amounted to £260.

Carpel had a previous conviction for fly-tipping in Redbridge, for which he was fined £495.

In light of the convictions, the Environment Agency removed his waste carrier’s licence, a requirement for anyone who transports waste as part of a business, buys, sells or disposes of waste or arranges for someone else to buy, sell or dispose of waste.

In the past year there have been 2,889 incidents of rubbish being dumped on Havering’s roads and open spaces – almost eight fly-tips every day at a cost to tax payers of £136,469.

Havering Council has said it is cracking down on fly-tipping as part of its Cleaner Havering campaign and welcomed the announcement by environment secretary, Liz Truss, that on-the-spot fines for the crime could be raised to £150.

Councillor Robert Benham, cabinet member for environment, said: “I’m delighted that the Environment Agency and the courts are supporting Havering Council’s crackdown on the menace of fly-tipping.

“We’re working hard to catch these criminals in the act, which is why we are investing in a CCTV network in our rural areas.

“We’re lobbying the Government and London Councils for tougher penalties to help fight a problem which affects the whole of London and beyond.”

To report an incident of fly-tipping go to http://bit.ly/1OdnVlH