FINES HANDED OUT FOR LITTER LEFT IN STREETS
Residents not getting rid of rubbish properly in a Sunderland community have been hit with fines.
Council chiefs say that they have identified people leaving unwanted items in the Hendon area of the city.
In April, CCTV footage was provided which showed a man aged about 65 leaving a small unit, plastic trolley and cardboard boxes behind Tower Street West, Hendon.
Inquiries revealed that the property had recently become vacant as the occupant had moved to an address in Silksworth.
An Environmental Enforcement Officer visited the man at his new address and interviewed him under caution.
As a result of the co-operation with the Environmental Enforcement Team and the admission of guilt, the man was fined £75 for littering. Later the same month, as part of a routine patrol, Fly-Tip Investigation Officers found 20 to 30 bags containing garden and household waste left in the back lane of Hendon Burn Avenue, Hendon.
An inspection of the waste found evidence in one of the plain white carrier bags, relating to a Hendon Burn Avenue address, but also recorded that all the black bags mainly contained garden waste and no evidence could be identified.
The case was referred to the Environmental Enforcement Team for further investigation and action.
During an interview, the man said he did not have a garden to the back of his property, only a tarmac yard and was unable to provide any information as to where this waste had come from.
On further questioning, he explained his green household bin was full at the time and he had excess waste as he didn’t then have a blue recycling bin, and admitted leaving five plain white carrier bags to the left hand side of the waste already there. He was found to be guilty of a littering offence and was offered the opportunity to pay a fixed penalty notice of £75 as an alternative to prosecution, which was accepted.
The man has also been served a formal notice providing information on the correct manner for disposal of household waste.
The Echo’s Clean Streets campaign is calling on Wearsiders to be more responsible for their own waste in an effort to build a cleaner, more inviting and more welcoming city.
Anyone who sees items they think have been fly tipped on a street or green space can contact Sunderland City Council by reporting it online at sunderland. gov.uk or by calling 0191 520 5550.
Campaign is calling on Wearsiders to be more responsible