A landscaping boss who was interviewed by council officers after fly-tipped fence posts blocked an Oxfordshire road claimed he ‘couldn’t remember much’ after a car accident.

William Loveridge, 50, told environmental officers at South Oxfordshire District Council that he had an arrangement allowing him to leave waste at a farm near where the fence panels and vegetation had been dumped in Monument Road, Chalgrove, in April 2020.

He suggested that the farmer must have dumped the waste.

But he was unable to provide any evidence supporting that such an agreement with a local farm existed or any evidence about the waste that his company, W R Loveridge Landscapes, had transported, the council said.

READ MORE: Three teens in court over Banbury 'attempted murder'

Appearing before Oxford Magistrates’ Court last month, he admitted failing in his duty of care in relation to the disposal of landscaping and tree waste. He also pleaded guilty to failing to respond to a council notice requiring him to provide information about the dumped waste.

Loveridge, of Donnington Bridge Road, Oxford, was fined £320 and ordered to pay £1,481 in costs and surcharge.

South Oxfordshire District Council said its officers were called after Monument Road in Chalgrove was ‘completely blocked’ by the fly-tipped waste on April 25, 2022.

The council appealed on social media for anyone with information about dumped fencing, posts, concrete and tree cuttings to come forward.

A Didcot resident contacted the council, saying the waste had been removed from their property after some landscaping work by William Loveridge’s company.

READ MORE: First picture of 'murder weapon' shown to Botley killing jury

Loveridge told officers that he 'couldn't remember much' after a road traffic accident, but confirmed he had arranged for work to be done at the property.

The council said there was insufficient evidence to prove that Loveridge had fly-tipped the waste himself.

However, the company was licensed to transport waste and he ‘should have known the legal requirements to ensure it is disposed of correctly’, the council added.

Cabinet member for environment Cllr Sue Cooper said: “Fly-tipping is a real scourge on our countryside and towns and villages and we will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who we suspect is responsible for waste that has been dumped.

“People who transport commercial waste must be licensed to do so, they must keep proper records of the waste and they must ensure that the waste is disposed of legally.

“This case also highlights the positive role that members of the public can play in reporting incidents and coming forward if they know who may be responsible.”