AN Oldbury man has been ordered to pay more than £3,000 for failing to clear up tonnes of dumped rubbish.

Abdul Amean, aged 39, of Warley Road, failed to clear up mattresses, loft insulation, an abandoned van and other waste on land in Unity Place.

Sandwell Council claims it had warned Amean several times to tidy up the rubbish before taking him to court.

Amean had pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a notice ordering him to clean up the land, however, he was found guilty in his absence at a trial at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court.

He was found guilty of failing to comply with a Section 215 notice, fined £1,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,398.47.

Councillor Paul Moore, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and investment, said: “The council’s planning team had been working with Mr Amean for some time to get the site cleared and security improved.

“He was served with a statutory notice in August 2016 requiring him to secure and clear up the land by October 2016.

“The court heard that although Mr Amean had made some attempt to comply with the requirements of the notice before the trial, the land had still not been fully cleared.”

He added: “We won’t tolerate land being left in this sort of state.”