Video tapes, cardboard boxes and broken furniture – just some of the items illegally dumped in the district which have lead to several people being prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council.
The cases of illegal fly-tippers brought to book include:
Martin Collins, of Hardy Lane, Tockington, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping waste near the railway station in Pilning on 17th March. During a clean up operation, council officers found correspondence addressed to Collins and when interviewed by police he fully admitted the offence. He was convicted of fly-tipping black bin bags containing household waste, sheets of insulation, video tapes, cardboard boxes and plastic electrical wire casing. He was also fined £65 and ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of around £415.
Council officers saw Emily Evans, from Southmead Road, Bristol, fly-tipping pieces of broken furniture at Berwick Lane, Easter Compton on 5th April. Evans pleaded guilty to the offence and now has a conviction for fly-tipping. She was fined £65 and ordered to pay the council’s costs of around £500.
And an off duty police officer stopped to question Owen O’Brien, of Jordan Walk, Bradley Stoke, after he saw him acting suspiciously in Hoovers Lane, Iron Acton on 28th March. He had fly-tipped two black bin bags full of waste. He admitted the offence and was fined £100 and ordered to pay around £414 costs
Officers also found evidence of envirocrimes relating to Avon Video Stores based on North Street, Bedminster. Waste from this shop had been fly-tipped across the region over a weekend in February. Derek Thomas, a partner in the business from Oxbarton, Stoke Gifford was found guilty of fly-tipping waste in Bath and in North Somerset. And although Thomas pleaded not guilty to fly-tipping waste in South Gloucestershire, the case is a good example of how local councils are working together to combat incidents of cross border fly-tipping.
Cllr James Hunt, executive member for communities, said:
“Household waste can be legally disposed of and so there is no excuse for fly-tipping. As these successful prosecutions demonstrate we have always operated a zero tolerance policy to the illegal dumping of waste. Our message on preventing fly-tipping is simple – if you see it, report it. You can do so by calling the Street Care helpdesk on 01454 868000, emailing streetcare@southglos.gov.uk or visiting www.southglos.gov.uk/flytipping.”
These cases were heard at Yate Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 27th September.
Source: South Gloucestershire Council
