A Bristol man has been prosecuted after a pile of building waste was found dumped in a rural lane in South Gloucestershire.
Michael Connors, 74, of Walton Street, Easton, was ordered to pay £130 in fines after committing waste related offences in Marshfield.
A pile of discarded flooring materials, including rugs, plastic and cardboard packaging, was dumped on Rushmead Lane sometime between August 12 and 13 last year.
The case was heard at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, April 24.
The court heard that South Gloucestershire Council’s envirocrime officers had traced the waste to an address in Easton, Bristol.
Officers attended the address on August 16 last year where they found Connors working at the property.
When he was shown photographs of the fly-tip he confirmed the waste had been taken from the property he was working at.
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Connors told officers he had paid two men driving a white transit van £50 to take away the waste, but was unable to provide any other details of these men or their vehicle.
Envirocrime officers interviewed Connors again at council offices, where he admitted failing in his duty of care regarding the disposal of the waste.
On Wednesday he pleaded guilty to the offence in court and was given a three-month conditional discharge.
He was also ordered to pay £110 in clear up costs and a victim surcharge of £20.
Shaun Fudge, South Gloucestershire Council’s environmental protection team leader, said: “Fly tipping is an issue that has a negative impact on our communities and local environment and we all have a responsibility to make sure that our waste is disposed of in the appropriate manner.
“Anyone that fly-tips in our area is five times more likely to be successfully prosecuted than anywhere else in the country.”
“Our award winning envirocrime team have a 100 per cent record of securing successful prosecutions for this type of offence, so if you fail in your duty of care and allow rubbish to be fly tipped in South Gloucestershire, you can expect to be caught and prosecuted.”
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Residents and businesses are advised to only give their rubbish to an Environment Agency registered waste carrier.
Contractors should ensure that they hold a Registered Waste Carriers Licence and they comply with the Waste Transfer Note requirements.
Do not be tempted to use people offering cheap waste clearance on sites such as Facebook and Gumtree unless you have confirmed that 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 contact telephone number for the trader and get a receipt.
