A lorry driver has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after a cyclist suffered a severe head injury following a collision with fly-tipped rubbish.
The incident in September 2024 in a lane in Brentwood, saw a man in his sixties thrown from his bicycle. He was subsequently airlifted to hospital in a life-threatening condition, Essex Police confirmed.
Investigators discovered that the cyclist’s front tyre had deflated due to a puncture and split, after encountering waste from a garden shed that had been illegally dumped across three-quarters of the road. Among the debris was a piece of asbestos with a protruding nail.
A police investigation, utilising CCTV and dashcam footage, quickly identified a tipper lorry and its driver as being involved. Telematics data from the vehicle revealed the driver had stopped at the site for less than 10 minutes, offloading garden vegetation and a shed just hours before the collision. Officers were able to match the fly-tipped rubbish to material seen in the back of the tipper lorry on camera.
Craig Frewin was arrested and pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court to causing a danger to road users, Essex Police said.
The force said the 36-year-old, of Wares Road, Good Easter, Essex, was jailed for 16 months at Southend Crown Court on Thursday.
Detective Constable Alan Marks, who led the investigation, said: “Fly-tipping isn’t just an eyesore – it can be a lethal hazard.
“In this case, rubbish dumped across a country lane caused a cyclist to come off his bike and suffer a devastating head injury, leaving him with no recollection of what happened and months of hospital treatment.
“What’s especially shocking is the hidden dangers within the waste – asbestos left on the road with a nail protruding, which punctured the bike’s tyre and contributed to this serious collision.
“This family’s life has been changed forever, and it simply did not need to happen.
“If you produce waste, you have a responsibility to dispose of it legally and safely – and if you pay someone to take it away, make sure they’re a licensed waste carrier.
“Fly-tips can contain sharp or hazardous items and can put the public at real risk.”
Following the collision, the rubbish was removed by a specialist asbestos disposal company at a cost to the local council of £1,660.
The cyclist was not wearing a cycle helmet at the time of the collision.
