HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to steer clear of fly-tipping scrap-men who are illegally dumping waste.

There were 923 incidents of fly- tipping reported to North Kesteven District Council during 2009-10, resulting in investigation and clean-up costs to the taxpayer of more than £99,000.

Now the council has issued a further warning after another resident has been prosecuted by the authority for transferring waste to an unauthorised waste carrier who then dumped it.

Tracy Macham, of Digby, has had to pay £100 court costs after her waste was discovered at land known locally as Windmill Yard, off Station Road, in Heckington.

This is near Heckington's famous six-sail windmill – a tourist attraction. And the case of Mrs Macham's rubbish cost £332 to investigate.

Mrs Macham was approached by two men in a red flatbed tipper van, who offered to take away some scrap metal for her.

She had been clearing out her property, so she had other general waste piled up in her garden – including black sacks, cardboard, clothing, furniture, televisions and a computer.

After taking the scrap metal, the men returned to collect the general waste and took it away for a £100 fee.

Because no enquiries were made as to the identity of these men, or whether they had authority to transport waste, Mrs Macham has had to pay the price and take full responsibility.

The council's executive member for environmental services Geoff Hazelwood said: "We are constantly asking our residents to be vigilant and take responsibility for their own rubbish.

"Unless the council can identify those who have taken the rubbish away, we can prosecute no one other than the owner of the contents."

Treasurer of the Friends of Heckington Mill, Tony Lickman, said the area where Mrs Macham's rubbish had been dumped was something of a fly-tipping hotspot.

"There's an awful lot of rubbish in the old coal yard behind the mill, which has been there for six months to a year," he said.

"It creates a problem for other people.

"It is very sad this woman has been taken to court, as she is not directly the perpetrator of this.

"But I think you need to be very careful who takes your rubbish away."

The maximum fine for this kind of offence is £5,000.