A frequent fly-tipper was apprehended by a Ministry of Defence (MOD) chopper.
When the plane was traveling over Melksham, Wiltshire, the pilot noticed something unusual beneath him.
Corey Ross Carr was witnessed throwing trash and setting fire to beds.
On Facebook, he advertised a rubbish removal service, claiming to have been ‘completely audited by the Environment Agency.’
Wiltshire Council has already penalized him for environmental and commercial standards violations.
However, the footage from the passing chopper on November 17 proved to be his undoing.
On June 6, Carr, of Melksham, Wiltshire, appeared in Swindon Magistrates Court.
He admitted to four environmental violations and one violation of the Trading Standards Act.
Carr was sentenced to a 12-month Community Order with a fine of £1,295 with costs, as well as 12 mental health sessions and 10 rehabilitation sessions.
Mark McClelland, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for waste, said: ‘We have a very clear message – we will not tolerate fly-tipping.
‘We will continue to prosecute anyone who believes that they can flout the rules and blight our communities and environment.
‘We would like to thank the MOD helicopter pilots, the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Police and all the witnesses who assisted in this prosecution.
‘We will now make urgent representations to the Environment Agency to request they revoke Mr Carr waste carriers’ licence.’
Carr had been accused of failing in his duty of care for waste, depositing controlled waste on authorised land, and disposing of waste ‘in a way likely to cause pollution to the environment’ by burning the mattress.
Carr was also accused with operating an unlicensed trash site on Melksham’s Woodrow Road.
The trash had been dumped on the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust’s property.
Environmental Enforcement Officers had tracked the garbage down to a Melksham resident.
Carr had been paid to clear the rubbish, but had failed to properly dispose of it, according to authorities.
Neill Ludlow of Woodrow Road, Melksham, Mr Carr’s co-defendant, had pleaded guilty to knowingly enabling the placed garbage on ground close to his house at an earlier hearing.
He had denied permitting Mr Carr to dispose of rubbish and having any knowledge of Mr Carr’s mattress burning.
Mr Ludlow was granted an 18-month conditional release and was ordered to pay £1,200 in costs and a £22 surcharge within 28 days.