A Chester-le-Street man has been fined after he was caught dumping a scruffy mattress and waste outside of his own home.
Colin Eastick dumped commercial waste, including a mattress and a chair, outside of his house at Delaval, with neighbourhood wardens discovering the mess when they were on patrol.
Durham County Council took legal action against the 50-year-old after the rubbish was found. When CCTV footage of the area was reviewed, it showed a flat bed van driving up the street, where a man got out of the vehicle and removed the waste before driving away.
Read more: Durham County Council by-election to be held on May 4 following death of councillor
The warden checked the vehicle's registration and matched it to the address of Eastick, and a letter was sent to him asking to contact the council regarding the fly tipping incident. Enquiries with the Environment Agency also confirmed Eastick had a waste carriers' licence at the time the waste was dumped.
A statement from Durham County Council said: "No response to the letter was received, and Eastick was issued with a fixed penalty notice for fly tipping. The warden then spoke to Eastick, where it was explained that the land in the street is not covered by an environmental permit and therefore it is an offence to deposit waste there.
"It was also explained that if Eastick was collecting waste as part of a business he would need to pay for it to be disposed of at a transfer centre for commercial waste."
Eastick was later hauled in front of magistrates at Peterlee Magistrates' Court, which heard that the waste was removed from the street, but the fixed penalty notice had not been paid. Eastick pleaded guilty to depositing waste without an environmental permit.
He was ordered to pay a £120 fine, £48 victim surcharge, and £200 costs.
Ian Hoult, neighbourhood protection manager, said: "Even if it is in the street outside your own home, dumping waste is still an offence and has a negative impact on the environment as well as the surrounding neighbourhood.
"It is hugely important that people make sure they dispose of waste properly at the right facilities, whether it is commercial or household. If not, you risk facing a fine that could have been avoided and, as this case shows, it could even result in legal action."
Read next:
- Gateshead Council local elections 2023: Full Candidate list
- North Tyneside Council local elections 2023: Full Candidate list
All of the candidates standing for election on Sunderland City Council on May 4
All the candidates standing for election onto South Tyneside Council on May 4
Voters issued one-month warning over new polling day rules on photo ID
Join ChronicleLive's WhatsApp community for breaking news and top stories
