A woman has been fined more than £1,000 for leaving a huge pile of litter and waste at her house.

Joanne Phillips age 38, of Brendon Drive, in Halstead, appeared in court charged with breaching the litter clearing notice served on her at a previous address of The Green, Twinstead.

Miss Phillips failed to attend Colchester Magistrates Court on January 16 and was found guilty in her absence.

She was fined £500 and ordered to pay £500 costs as well as a £50 victim surcharge.

Councillor Wendy Schmitt said: "As residents we all have a responsibility to ensure that we correctly dispose of our litter and waste, and services are provided to do this.

“Letting it build up in this manner over such a long period of time is not only thoughtless, but has potential health and environmental implications and of course causes unnecessary distress for neighbours.

“I hope this significant financial penalty goes someway to show that this is not acceptable, and as the local authority we will look to take action if necessary."