A woman has been fined after dumping her Christmas rubbish by the river despite living down the road from the tip.

The 31-year-old was slapped with a £400 fine when the items were found in Gravesend.

The culprit, from Northfleet, was tracked down and found to live less than a mile from the Pepperhill household waste centre in Station Road, Southfleet.

Officers from Gravesham council discovered the fly-tipped heap of wrapping paper, rotting food and other items on The Shore.

The authority's safer place officers, part of the environmental enforcement team, made the discovery and issued the fine.

The council has urged residents to report fly-tipping to ensure it can be cleared away and gather evidence.

It follows a separate appeal after a large pile of building rubble and rubbish was found scattered across a country lane in Harvel.

The council launched an appeal to find a distinctive orange Ford Transit tipper truck after it emerged a couple in Snodland had been duped by a cold-caller.

In response to the Harvel incident, Cllr Lee Croxton, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for operational services said: "Gravesham is a beautiful place, it's our home.

"We will not tolerate fly-tipping and our teams are working hard to catch those that are disrespecting our countryside and indeed our borough.

"Householders and businesses can easily find themselves on the wrong side of the law and face a heavy fine for failing to ensure that their waste is collected, transported and disposed of lawfully.

"We are one community, please help us to keep our borough clean and a place we can be proud of."

Report fly-tipping to Gravesham council via its websitehttps://www.gravesham.gov.uk/.../fly.../report-fly-tipping

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