THE owner of a restaurant in Halstead has been fined £1,375 after rubbish was dumped on the A120.

Waste from the Spice Zone Indian takeaway, in Head Street, was found in a layby on the A120, near the border with Uttlesford, on March 9.

Aktar Hussain had already been contacted by Braintree Council in February over bags of rubbish left by bins near estate agents David Oswickin, in Head Street.

Mr Hussain, who lives in Ilford, admitted two counts of failing to properly dispose of controlled waste in Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.

Shahida Begum, mitigating, said Mr Hussain had spoken with refuse collectors, who had told him the oil drums used by the restaurant would break the garbage truck, so could not be collected, which the prosecution refuted.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Hussain said he did not know how the bags ended up on the A120 and is worried the ruling will affect his business’s reputation.

He said: “We normally leave it in the alleyway for collection. It was only cardboard and paper – maybe it was taken for identity theft.”

Wendy Schmitt, cabinet member for Clean, Green and Safe at the council, said: “These cases highlight the severe penalties in store for any business that fails to deal with their commercial waste in a responsible and legal way.”