A man who dumped a horsebox full of waste on a private driveway in rural Wiltshire has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Mark Rutterford pleaded guilty to fly-tipping the huge trailer – filled with tyres, gas canisters and wood – outside an address on the A354 in Rockbourne, south of Salisbury.
Wiltshire Council’s enforcement officers first responded to the incident in October 2024, when the abandoned horsebox was discovered on a residential driveway.
Inside, officers found various items including tyres, alloy wheels, gas canisters, and pieces of wood. A small amount of household waste also contained an envelope addressed to Rutterford.
He initially denied any involvement, claiming two other people had offered to dispose of the horsebox. He later admitted this was untrue and confessed to dumping the waste himself.
The council removed the horsebox at a cost of £1,525.70 to alleviate the serious obstruction caused to the residents.
Appearing at Swindon Magistrates Court on Friday (23 May), the defendant, of Highview Gardens in Poole, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.
Rutterford was also ordered to pay £4,837.70 in compensation and costs. The sentence was issued under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene and Flooding, said: “I would like to thank our Enforcement Team for acting swiftly in this extreme case of fly-tipping and for bringing Mr Rutterford to justice.
“The sentence he has been given today shows just how serious this case was, and the inconvenience and stress caused to the residents by his actions.
“Fly-tipping is a blight to our beautiful Wiltshire countryside and can have serious consequences.
“In this instance, residents were unable to enter or leave their own house due to the horsebox blocking their driveway, and emergency services would not have been able to get to them if required.
“We take fly-tipping very seriously in Wiltshire, and I hope this sends a clear message to anyone thinking about fly-tipping – we will not hesitate to prosecute.”
