A landowner has been fined £5,000 for “blighting” the area by storing dozens of mobile homes.

Ronald Carpenter, of Whitehall Farm in Lydd, used the site to run a business keeping multiple large items despite not being permitted to do so for more than six years.

Between June 2017 and October 2023, Mr Carpenter kept mobile homes, touring caravans, horse boxes, vehicle trailers and a boat on the land.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC) say the unauthorised use of the land was deemed “detrimental to the character and appearance of the area”.

It added storing the vehicles there was not allowed due to the site being “visually prominent in the landscape” and with them being seen clearly “from public vantage points”.

Mr Carpenter pleaded guilty at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on April, 23 and was ordered to pay costs of £200 on top of the £5,000 fine.

A council spokesperson said: “Mr Carpenter financially benefited by operating a commercial storage operation without the appropriate permissions and this was reflected in the sentence imposed by the court.”