A fly-tipper who dumped a bathtub full of plasterboard and garden waste at a Bristol dock was ordered to pay more than £1,600, following a prosecution for brought by North Somerset Council.
Anthony Newbury, from Marine Parade in Pill, was accused of fly-tipping waste on the Royal Portbury Dock on two separate occasions last summer. The council says he pleaded guilty at North Somerset Magistrates' Court on May 6.
Both offences were captured on CCTV in the area and, having obtained the vehicle registration number of the vehicle used, officers found that Newbury was the registered keeper at the time the offence took place.
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Royal Portbury Dock is part of the Port of Bristol, along with Avonmouth Dock. Newbury was ordered to pay a total of £1,623.40 - a fine of £346 for each of the two offences, a victim surcharge of £69, and North Somerset Council’s full costs of £862.40.
Welcoming the outcome of the prosecution, councillor Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council's executive member for neighbourhoods and community services, said: "Fly-tipping is completely unacceptable. It has a negative impact on our local environment and communities.
"North Somerset Council will vigorously investigate all incidents of fly-tipping and issue fixed penalty notices or prosecute individuals when sufficient evidence is found.
"I’d like to remind residents using private companies to collect their waste of the importance of checking that they’re registered with the environment agency. Waste carriers should always provide paperwork showing their full contact details and a description of the waste taken.
"It’s also useful if residents make a note of the vehicle they used, including the registration number. This information allows officers to trace the keeper of the vehicle if the waste ends up being fly-tipped.”
The council advised people to follow these simple steps to ensure waste is disposed legally:
- S - Suspect all waste carriers. Don't let them take your waste until they have proven themselves to be legitimate. A professional waste carrier should happily answer reasonable questions.
- C - Check that a waste carrier is registered on the Environment Agency's website.
- R - Refuse any unexpected offers to have your rubbish taken away.
- A - Ask what will happen to your rubbish and seek evidence that it is going to be disposed of appropriately.
- P - Paperwork must be obtained - a proper invoice, waste transfer note or receipt, including a description of the waste being removed and the waste carrier’s contact details.
Residents of North Somerset can dispose of their household waste at any of the council’s recycling centres at Backwell, Portishead and Weston-super-Mare. In addition, residents who find fly-tipped waste are encouraged to report it to the council as soon as possible here.
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