A GRANDAD slapped with a £400 fine for fly-tipping says he's a "passionate recycler" – and has been "set up".

Dennis Spencer claims he's been framed for dumping 16 bags filled with cannabis plants in village Blidworth, near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire.

The 61-year-old insists he had nothing to do with the litter tip, which was discovered on a secluded country lane on August 3.

And he insisted he's a "respectable recycling person" who has never taken drugs in his life.

The saga began when Mr Spencer was told he was being fined for fly-tipping by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

The construction worker was baffled by the note – and immediately suspected someone had stolen a box from his recycling bin and filled it with drugs paraphernalia as a "set up".

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He wrote to let the council know he wasn't responsible, but was still ordered to pay out under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act.

The authority says Mr Spencer is responsible for properly disposing of any waste he has produced.

"In other words, if someone goes and steals your bin then you're at fault. It's a silly law," Mr Spencer blasted.

"Besides, I did dispose of this rubbish. It was put in my bin God knows how long ago. How it got on top of these 16 bags of cannabis plants I'm unsure.

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"This letter then landed through my letterbox with a summons – I wouldn't mind but I had no idea what this was. I was left scratching my head."

He said he was believed to be "guilty" before he set foot in the hearing.

"Despite explaining the circumstances, I was still fined," he said.

"They've done me under an act where you're responsible for your own rubbish – seemingly no matter what the circumstances.

"It's my problem to put my box in the bin, but its also my problem if someone takes it out and plants it somewhere."

The litter was found on an "old dirt track" around a mile from his house, he said.

'SET UP'

"That's been planted there and photographed. If I was going to fly-tip I wouldn't leave a box with my name on. I'm not that stupid," he added.

Mr Spencer says he had tried to appeal his fine but so far his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

"I'm recycling mad, I recycle all the time. Why would I dump in my own village? I wouldn't dream of dumping anywhere," he said.

Roger Jackson, portfolio holder for cleaner, safer, greener at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: "As outlined in the Environmental Protection Act it is the responsibility of the resident or business to properly dispose of waste they produce.

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"In the case of employing a third-party to dispose of waste the resident or business still have a duty of care to ensure the waste is not illegally dumped.

"We continue to urge anyone employing a third-party to check they have the required licenses to legally dispose of waste."

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