Court Fly-tipper to pick up other people’s litter
AMAN has been fined more than £800 and ordered to pick up other people’s litter after admitting to polluting a beauty spot with rubbish.
Jake Thomas, from Chipping Sodbury, blighted Hoovers Lane with a mattress, disregarded plastics and an old duvet.
The 22-year-old has now been ordered to spend 160 hours picking up other people’s rubbish and has been fined £810 after pleading guilty.
South Gloucestershire Council’s environmental protection team discovered Thomas had charged customers to remove their waste then dumped the rubbish in quiet country lanes.
The two offences occurred between March and May – one in Hoovers Lane, near Iron Acton, and the other in a lane in Dodington, near Old Sodbury.
The case was heard at Bristol Magistrates’ Court, where Thomas admitted fly tipping and having no registered waste carrier’s licence.
He was given a 160-hour community order by the court, to be completed within a period of 12 months.
The magistrate specifically indicated that if possible this should involve clearing up other people’s rubbish.
The council’s cabinet member for communities and tourism, councillor Paul Hughes, said: “Fly tipping is an issue that negatively affects our communities and local environment and this activity will not be tolerated in South Gloucestershire.
“This particular case saw the offender disregarding the law to deliberately dump waste in two rural locations.
“There is no excuse for this type of behaviour.
“Waste crime puts the environment at risk and anyone found to be fly tipping in South Gloucestershire will be prosecuted.
“Residents also have a duty of care to ensure that they only give their waste to registered waste carriers.”
Statistics show that anyone flytipping in South Gloucestershire is five times more likely to be successfully prosecuted than anywhere else in the country.
This is thanks to the authority’s Envirocrime Team which has a 100 per cent record of securing successful prosecutions for this type of offence. » THE council has issued the following advice to residents: Only give your rubbish to an Environment Agency registered waste carrier.
» Ask for a copy of the company’s waste carrier registration certificate and ask where the waste is being taken. Legitimate firms will be happy to provide this information.
» Do not be tempted to use people offering cheap waste clearance on sites such as Facebook and Gumtree unless you have confirmed they are registered with the Environment Agency.
» Check whether the waste carrier is registered by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 or by checking on their website.
» Ask for a registered trading address and telephone number for the trader and get a receipt. » Residents who see illegal fly tipping can report it at www. southglos.gov.uk/flytipping or by emailing streetcare@ southglos.gov.uk