A landlord has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 after his building waste was found dumped amongst ancient woodland in May.

Shahzad Khan from Walthamstow was sentenced on Thursday (December 10) after bags of waste were flytipped deep in Epping Forest, in Lincolns Lane and Mount Pleasant, Loughton.

Appearing at Chelmsford Magistrates Court, he was ordered to pay £405 to the City of London Corporation (CoL) – which manages the forest and brought the prosecution – £145 court costs, a £42 victim surcharge and a £420 fine.

Khan, a commercial landlord, had employed contractors to work on one of his properties.

It is unclear who dumped the waste, but under the Environmental Protection Act any person who produces it has ‘a duty of care to deal with it lawfully’.

The landlord pleaded guilty after failing to ensure that his commercial waste was removed lawfully.

Senior CoL forest keeper Tristan Vetta said: “Those who employ contractors need to understand that they are ultimately responsible for the where the waste ends up.

“It’s important to do your homework and make sure you only employ reputable firms with a Waste Carriers Licence.

“Fly tipping in Epping Forest is completely unacceptable.

“It is unsightly, dangerous and damaging to the environment.

“Our job is to protect this ancient woodland and we will prosecute anyone found to be carrying out this sort of illegal activity.”

A live cat, a goat, several large dogs, a dead donkey and 16,000kg of building waste are just some of the things that have been dumped in Epping Forest in recent years.

The corporation offers a £500 reward to individuals who can provide evidence which leads to prosecution for fly tipping.

It cleans up over 500 fly tips and 300 tonnes of rubbish every year in the forest at a cost of £250,000.