Test Valley Borough Council have been successful in prosecuting two fly tippers who dumped their rubbish within the borough, resulting in large fines.
This week, Basingstoke Magistrates Court convicted Mark Francis Day for a fly tipping offence near to the B3048 at Longparish in February last year which cost him a total of £1,332.
He had been employed following a social media conversation where he agreed to take household rubbish away for someone, but dumped it in the countryside instead.
The Council were able to bring the case to court because of strong and reliable evidence supplied by witnesses.
The court also convicted a second man, Ian Jolley, for fly tipping along Enham Lane, Charlton in March last year and this cost him a total of £1,628. He fly tipped garden waste resulting from his gardening business.
The Council were able to bring this case to court because of clear footage obtained using one of their covert camera systems designed to capture fly tippers in the act.
Environmental Portfolio Holder, Councillor Graham Stallard said: “This was a great result in court and a testament to the hard work done by our environmental and legal teams. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the witnesses for coming forward and want this outcome to be a stark reminder that we will not tolerate fly tipping in our borough. All reports of fly tipping are investigated and will be taken through to prosecution with sufficient evidence. On this occasion the magistrates have also sent out a strong message with these heavy fines”.
Residents should be mindful about individuals advertising a ‘man and a van’ or ‘tip runs’ service, especially on social media. Some advertise and take waste for a fee but fail to dispose of the waste responsibly.
Residents have a duty to ensure that their waste is disposed of properly. The Council advises residents to make sure they carry out checks on individuals who are employed to remove and dispose of waste on their behalf. Such checks should include: recording a waste carrier’s licence number and asking where the waste is being disposed of, as well as recording the dates you used them, their name, telephone number and vehicle registration number.
