Thursday 12 February 2015

Fly tipping law has teeth - successful prosecution

South Glos has had its first successful fly tipping prosecution of the year, when a man from Winterbourne pleaded guilty to fly tipping, not having a waste carriers licence, no waste transfer note and failing to supply information relating to the vehicle used in committing the offence.  He was fined £183 and ordered to pay £380 costs and a victim surcharge of £20.

The offence took place at  the former community composting site at Shire Way, Yate. Over a period of years the site has been subject to numerous criminal offences of fly tipping either by commercial landscapers dumping their commercial green waste or builders and paving firms fly tipping increasingly significant amounts of builder’s rubble and waste at the site.

 Because of the abuse of the site increasing amounts of preventative measures have been put in place including CCTV and signage making it absolutely clear that the site is only for garden waste and any other waste will be seen as fly tipping and a criminal offence. Despite this fly tipping of all types of waste has continued at the site. The site has now ceased to operate.

A flatbed lorry fully laden with earth, mud and hard-core enter the car park and drive straight to the composting area. It dumped the spoil and drove off immediately, but not before a witness had noted the lorry registration number.

The owner failed to appear in court for his first hearing so a warrant for his arrest was issued by the court. He was subsequently arrested at his home address by police and attended Northavon Magistrates court on 22nd January, where he pleaded guilty to all charges.

So the law has some teeth, but when you add it up the lorry owner may still have made a profit. Perhaps he will be deterred from doing it again.

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