A WOMAN has been fined more than £1,800 for dumping household waste by the side of the road that had built up in her home over Christmas and New Year.

Magdalena Heberlein, 31, of Mead Avenue, Slough, pleaded guilty at High Wycombe Magistrates Court on April 12 to dumping household waste illegally.

The court heard that on January 4 this year officers from the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire examined seven black sacks of waste they found dumped on Trenches Lane, Wexham, Bucks. Among the household waste they found items which they identified as belonging to Ms Heberlein.

When interviewed at a police station, Ms Heberlein explained that she had excess household waste and said there had been no household waste collection between Christmas and New Year.

She had transported the waste herself hoping to use the recycling site at Langley, but had found it shut as it was during the evening after work. She admitted depositing the waste at the roadside further down Trenches Lane.

Magistrates fined her £1,216, and ordered clean-up and prosecution costs to be paid in the sum of £485. A victim surcharge of £121 was also levied – making a total to pay of £1,822.

A Bucks County Council spokesperson said: "All of Buckinghamshire's household recycling centres are open every day of the year except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. No charge is made for householders dealing with their own household waste.

"On average since April 2010, there has been at least one conviction per week for illegal dumping offences in Buckinghamshire. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of offences and a saving to the Buckinghamshire tax payer over the period, principally through reducing removal and disposal costs."

Report fly-tipping in Buckinghamshire at www.buckscc.gov.uk/fly or call 0845 330 1856.