AN UNLICENCED lorry driver, who dumped demolition waste in a quiet street, has been ordered to pay more than £2,000 in fines and costs.

John Liam, of Masons Hill, Bromley, pleaded guilty to dumping the controlled waste in Hawley Road, Dartford, on April 3, last year.

Dartford Magistrates heard how Environment Agency officers were patrolling with police when they spotted Liam's vehicle stuck on a grass verge.

After pulling the vehicle away, they discovered a pile of construction rubbish.

When the police questioned him, the self-employed haulier admitted not even being registered to carry the waste.

He told magistrates he had just begun operating as a waste haulier and had not fully understood the regulations of the trade.

He added that since the incident he had been forced to cease trading, had his lorry repossessed and was now living with his father.

He was fined £500 for the dumping, £500 for carrying controlled waste without a licence and ordered to pay costs of £1,246.66.