A man from High Wycombe has been convicted after CCTV footage caught him dumping three tipper-truck loads of waste.

Twenty-five-year-old John McDonagh discarded the waste, which included a fridge freezer, at an industrial estate in North London.

The court McDonagh left mixed waste including construction materials and even a fridge in the January and February 2018 in Edmonton.

Despite the vehicle not having registration plates, the Environment Agency still managed to track him down as part of the investigation.

Emma Viner, area enforcement manager for the Environment Agency, said: “McDonagh’s actions showed blatant disregard for the environment and local community in order to make a quick buck dumping household waste on both the public highway and on private land.

“Through the persistent intervention of our officers and by working together with, in this case, Enfield Council, the Metropolitan Police and DVLA, we are successfully disrupting this organised criminality and bringing those responsible to justice.

“Our conviction of McDonagh shows we pursue law-breakers from the crime to the courtroom. We urge members of the public to help us reduce waste crime by using a registered waste carrier, checking their validity on gov.uk.”

The successful prosecution was part of Operation Angola, a collaboration of various agencies launched in 2017, and led by the Environment Agency to target criminals dumping significant amounts of waste across the South East.

Cllr Guney Dogan, Enfield Council’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said: “This was a calculated crime that wrecked the environment in Edmonton, and a significant amount of time and effort was required to clear up the waste after it was dumped.

“We are pleased the perpetrator of this crime has been brought to justice, and we’d urge anyone who knows the identity of fly-tippers to let us know so we can seek further prosecutions to send out the message that such behaviour is criminal, unacceptable and likely to lead to further enforcement action.”

McDonagh pleaded guilty to three waste offences. On 12 September, magistrates at Highbury Corner fined him £400, with costs of £260 and a victim surcharge of £40.