As part of the ongoing Tackle The Tippers campaign and commitment to address fly-tipping across the Borough, the Enforcement Team at East Staffordshire Borough Council have prosecuted a male for fly tipping in a quiet country lane known to be a hotspot for fly tipping offences.
The male, from Burton, pleaded guilty in Court to the offence of fly tipping from a vehicle. After hearing an outline of the facts and mitigation upon his behalf from his solicitor, he received a fine of £615, a Victim Surcharge of £246 and was ordered to pay costs of £2,276.
In August 2022, the Mobile Enforcement CCTV Officer through camera footage identified that a fly tipping offence had occurred in Mill Stream Lane, Stretton, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire by two men in a black Volvo car.
The males were seen to retrieve bags of waste from the vehicle before depositing them into a nearby bush.
The matter was investigated whereby the owner of the vehicle was identified and invited to attend two interview under cautions to discuss the matter which he failed to attend. The male was consequently issued with a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice which was not paid resulting in prosecution action being undertaken.
The prosecution follows three £400 Fixed Penalty Notices being issued for fly tipping offences on land at Craythorne Road where mobile CCTV footage was obtained capturing three members of the public in separate vehicles were observed fly tipping waste.
Councillor Simon Slater, Cabinet Member for Communities and Regulatory Services, said: “East Staffordshire Borough Council’s Enforcement Team has worked hard to ensure those residents found fly tipping have been held accountable for their offences. I would remind residents to make sure they dispose of their waste correctly to avoid similar penalties.”
Fly tipping is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The maximum amount for a fly tipping Fixed Penalty has been increased to up to £1000 and the Courts have various powers including imprisonment, unlimited fines and an order to deprive rights to a vehicle used to commit the offence.
Residents are reminded to ensure their waste is disposed of responsibly as fly tippers often target households via social media or other local advertising to remove and dispose of waste at a cheap price and which may later found to be fly tipped.
To ensure a waste collector is correctly licensed, checks can be made by contacting the Environment Agency on: (03708) 506 506, Monday- Friday, 8am to 6pm or accessing the public register list on: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/access-the-public-register-for-environmental-information
Anyone wanting to report any incidents of fly tipping or with information regarding any persons known to have fly tipped can contact the Teams on (01283) 508506 or report via the East Staffordshire Borough Council website.