COUNCIL chiefs have urged residents not to resort to fly-tipping excess waste after a man was fined £400 for dumping cardboard boxes and sacks of garden waste at the side of a road.
Wychavon officers received a report sacks and boxes had been left in a lay-by near Peopleton on April 6.
Evidence was found and the offender identified. When questioned the man said he decided to dump them because the tip was closed, rather than keep them at home and store them. They were given a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).
Residents are being urged to keep hold of any excess waste they have until Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) re-open.
They are currently closed as a visit to them is deemed non-essential travel under the Coronavirus Regulations. Worcestershire County Council, which runs HRCs, is making arrangements to re-open them in the coming weeks with social distancing restrictions in place.
People are being asked to hold off carrying out any household, garden or other outbuilding clearances until the HRCs are re-open and to delay any major DIY projects until later in the year.
Anyone using commercial companies to dispose of their waste should follow the SCRAP fly-tipping code and double check with companies offering to take their waste that they are properly licensed, how they intend to dispose of it and get paperwork as evidence. A person can be prosecuted for fly-tipping if their waste is found illegally dumped, even if they did not dump it.
Two other offenders have received fines for fly-tipping in recent weeks.
On April 4 a driver and passenger of a parked camper van were seen by members of the public emptying the contents of a chemical toilet onto the road verge next to a farmer’s gate at Inkberrow.
They took the licence plate of the van and reported it to the police. Wychavon officers worked with police to request information about the driver and passenger, which was ignored. While out investigating another fly-tip, a Wychavon officer saw the camper parked in a lay-by. The occupants were asked why they had not responded to the request for information. After initially denying it, they later admitted they had done it and the passenger was given a £400 FPN.
In another case a £400 FPN was also issued to a man who dumped a pile of logs at Piper’s Hill and Dodderhill Commons. The report was originally made on 13 February. The offender was identified from video footage.
Coun Emma Stokes, responsible for environment on Wychavon District Council, said: “We appreciate it’s frustrating for residents not being able to dispose of their additional waste as normal with the Household Recycling Centres closed but there is no excuse for fly-tipping and it could cost you a lot of money as well as lead to a criminal prosecution.
Please follow the guidance and keep hold of any excess waste until it can be disposed of properly. Stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
Visit www.wychavon.gov.uk/report-it for more.
