Camera helps to convict Wear flytipper
A Wearside man has been hit in the pocket after being fined for fly-tipping.
Nigel Glover, from Washington, was prosecuted by Durham County Council as part of its anti-fly-tipping campaign, Operation Stop It.
The 59-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of flytipping at a recent appearance before magistrates in Peterlee.
The court heard how tipping, including tree cuttings, was found on council land near the Lambton Estate.
A CCTV camera put up at the site in response to frequent fly-tipping was then checked and footage showed a van reversing and tree cuttings being tipped from the back of the vehicle on April 20.
Checks revealed the van to be registered to Glover, 59, of Barmston Close.
The council invited him to be interviewed and he replied claiming he was in hospital for surgery and would make contact after his operation.
But after a further incident of tree cuttings being tipped in the same location, footage from the camera was again viewed.
This showed the same vehicle dumping tree cuttings on July 5, and Glover was again invited to be interviewed.
He attended and admitted committing both offences and that he did not have a licence to carry such waste.
In court, Glover was fined £320 and made to pay a victim surcharge of £32.
Operation Stop It sees the council work with Durham Constabulary, the Environment Agency and Crimestoppers to reduce fly-tipping through education and enforcement action.
It was recently named Keep Britain Tidy’s Environmental Campaign of the Year 2017.
Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “Most people do the right thing and dispose of their waste legally, be that in their bins, at our household waste recycling centres or by arranging a bulky waste collection.
“However a minority choose to fly-tip – blemishing our beautiful county and putting an unnecessary drain on our resources.
“This is why we launched Operation Stop It and these prosecutions show that we will take firm action against those who commit environmental crime.
Anyone who wants information on how to dispose of their waste legally can visit www.durham.gov.uk/recycling.