A MAN pretending to be a council officer to ask for people's rubbish has prompted a warning.

Vale of White Horse District Council raised the alarm yesterday after it received a report that a man wearing a high visibility jacket and a false ID badge had been impersonating a council officer to offer a 'waste collection service'.

The council urged residents to be aware that its officers and waste crews would never knock on someone’s door and ask to take their rubbish away, even if they had pre-booked and paid for the councils to collect bulky waste.

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It also stressed that homeowners must make sure their waste is disposed of legally, and if they choose to employ someone to remove waste, they must check they are a registered waste carrier.

If they are not and the rubbish is then dumped illegally, the homeowner could be issued a fixed penalty notice or prosecuted for the dumped waste.