A woman from Bodmin who fly tipped next to a ’no fly tipping’ sign and failed to attend her first court hearing has been handed a no-nonsense sentence.

Diane Bates was ordered to pay £590 in fines and costs at Bodmin Magistrates Court and is required to wear an electronic tag and observe a curfew. She will be unable to leave her property between 8pm and 8am, seven days a week for six weeks.

Miss Bates had failed to attend an initial court hearing, said Cornwall Council, and a warrant was issued for her arrest resulting in her having to spend a night in police custody.

Officers from Environmental Health’s Community Protection team were alerted to reports of fly tipped materials including a carpet, laminate flooring, underlay and other materials on Higher Bore Street in Bodmin.

After investigating, officers quickly identified the source of the materials. Miss Bates was visited in person, and admitted dumping the materials on the pavement.

She was offered the option of paying a fixed penalty notice for dumping the materials, which would have prevented the issue from going to court. However, the fine remained unpaid.

Cllr Rob Nolan said: “Cornwall Council takes fly tipping very seriously and illegally depositing waste in public places costs the tax payer £300,000 per year. Items such as those deposited in this case can be disposed of for free at household waste recycling centres and therefore there is no excuse for this type of behaviour. We welcome the sentence given by the courts which highlights the severity of these offences and should act as a deterrent to others thinking of illegally depositing waste in our environment.”