'IT WAS my van, but I lent it to this other man who is now not answering my calls… I think his name is Jim?'

That is just one of the many excuses used by fly tippers who tried to wriggle out of a conviction for dumping waste.

Councillors in Buckinghamshire are leading a crackdown on fly tipping, and the Joint Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire has revealed a list of the top 10 excuses from people convicted of the offence.

The partnership, made up of the five authorities in the county - Bucks County Council (BCC), Aylesbury Vale District Council, Chiltern District Council, South Bucks District Council and Wycombe District Council - hopes the list will prove a deterrent for others in the illegal dumping of waste.

Mike Smith, Chairman of the Joint Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: “The excuses range from the banal to bonkers and the bottom line is – there is no excuse for fly-tipping.

“Fly-tipping is a hazard, it’s anti-social and an eyesore. It’s quite wrong to expect the taxpayer to pay for clearing away dumped items and I am delighted that as time goes on, the public and courts are coming on board and helping us achieve really effective prosecution results.”

The partnership has brought more than 500 of fly tippers to court since it launched its zero tolerance campaign, Illegal Dumping Costs, 13 years ago, with estimated savings of around £2m over the period.

Other excuses include 'I saw other fly-tipped waste and thought the area was a recycling centre', 'the waste fell off the back of my vehicle as I drove along' and 'I paid a man with a van to take it'.

Warren Whyte, BCC Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, said: “Our officers compiled this list to show the type of excuses that people are making after being caught.

“While initially appearing humorous, this is actually no laughing matter because fly-tipping has blighted our beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside over many years.

"The extraordinary arrogance of those who dump rubbish in our roads, parks and country lanes is sickening and we will do everything in our power to prevent it.”

The top 10 list of excuses:

10. I know the person who works on the tip and they don’t like me, so when I saw them working, I drove on…

9. I sold my vehicle to some people who were quite intimidating actually…

8. It was my van, but I had lent it to this other man who is now not answering my calls… I think his name is Jim…

7. I saw other fly-tipped waste and thought the area was a recycling centre …

6. The waste fell off the back of my vehicle as I drove along …

5. I didn’t dump it – I was there, but I only stopped to do a wee…

4. My van was untidy and I needed to give my boss a lift so I cleared the rubbish out because I know he doesn’t like the van untidy…

3. I dropped my phone and there was so much rubbish in the car that I could hardly find it – I cleared the rubbish out so I could find the phone…

2. I met a man at the ‘dump’ who said he wanted it – can’t think why he then dumped it rather than taking it back to the ‘dump…’

1. I paid a man with a van to take it…