Fine for fly-tipper caught on CCTV cameras in Chichester

Paul Taylor, aged 59, of Middle Park Way in Havant, was caught in the act by cameras at Chichester building merchants, Covers, on May 9 2016, the council said.

A spokesperson for the council said that during a hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court on February 6, Taylor pleaded guilty to one charge of unlawful deposit of controlled waste contrary to section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to assist in an investigation by not providing information to an authorised person and failing to provide a declaration of truth contrary to section 108 and 110 of the Environment Act 1995.

The successful prosecution comes after the council redeployed one of its officers to deal specifically with fly tipping offences.

Councillor Carol Purnell, cabinet member for housing and environment services at Chichester District Council said: “Last year our council spent more than £52,000 on cleaning up fly-tipped waste from public land.

“We are pleased that this is the first of several prosecutions currently taking place to stop people from making a profit at the expense of the environment and the tax payer.

“Our enforcement team is working hard to bring fly tippers to justice and we hope that this sends out a clear message that it’s not acceptable to dump waste or fail to co-operate with our investigations.

“We know that people often come in from outside our district to fly tip.

“We would urge people to be alert and contact us immediately with as much information as possible if they spot fly tipped waste.”

The council is also urging householders and businesses to check first before hiring an individual or company to take away waste on their behalf.

On a number of occasions residents in the district have paid good money for people to take their waste away but this has been found dumped later on, the council said.

All legal waste carriers are registered by the Environment Agency (EA). People can check a company or individual by going to the EA’s website: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

It is also a good idea to note down the following details on the day that the waste is being collected in case it is found dumped:

• Who collected it – name of company, name of person and description

• Vehicle details including make, model, colour and registration

• Details of what was taken away.

Councillor Roger Barrow is Cabinet Member for the council’s Contract Services, whose teams clear fly tipped material. He says: “Gathering this information may seem onerous but by law it is the householder who is responsible for ensuring their waste is disposed of safely and legally – even if they are paying someone else to take it away.

“Sadly, there are some illegal waste carriers out there who take payment from unwitting members of the public and then dump the material.

“Often the waste can be traced back to the householder but not the carrier which means the householder could be held responsible.

“We know it’s easy for people to get caught out by this, so we are working hard to raise awareness and educate people in order to reduce these incidents.

“We would also urge householders to be especially cautious if someone turns up on their doorstep unannounced, offering to take waste away for them.”

Residents can report fly tipping by going to http://www.chichester.gov.uk/flytipping

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