Two men have been sentenced and exposed as serial-fly tippers after a large-scale dumping of unauthorised waste, a court has heard. Stuart Allison, the director of a 'Man with a Van' business, alongside employee Steven Hutton were caught dumping household waste at Dalsetter Crescent in Glasgow.
On July 14, 2020, Glasgow City Council Environmental Health Officers visited the area - a dead-end street within a Drumchapel business development site - and found a large number of tyres and household waste.
Items sized from the household waste included names and addresses. Officers visited the addresses and spoke with the homeowners, who all confirmed they hired a 'Man with a Van' via social media.
The individuals found Allison's company on Facebook and made payments to his bank account or paid Hutton in cash to remove unwanted household items such as a sofa, bed, washing machine, dryer, television, dolls house and a hoover.
CCTV from nearby properties showed two vans involved in the dumping of the unauthorised waste, which was traced back to Allison.
Prior to sentencing, both had pled guilty to an environmental breach. The 53-year-old director from Bearsden was fined £750 and ordered to pay compensation of £1,900 to Glasgow City Council for the clean-up. Hutton, 44, from Coatbridge, was also fined £750.
The procurator fiscal depute told the court there had been large-scale dumping of unauthorised waste Glasgow between June 10 and August 2, 2020. In December 2020, cops attended the homes of Allison and Hutton along with search warrants.
After searching the addresses, they seized several electronic devices including iPhones and arrested both men. Allison confirmed he was the director of four businesses including a 'Man with a Van' business. However, neither he nor his companies held a waste management licence.
Allison revealed he had several Facebook profiles which he used to advertise and contact potential clients. He also admitted being responsible for arranging Hutton’s work. While in custody, Hutton confirmed he had worked for his cousin Allison but had recently been sacked. He also told police he 'had dumped waste in nearly every street with a dead end in Glasgow.'
Analysis of the phones that were seized revealed numerous discussions on the disposal and uplift of household waste detailing enquiries, pricing, and the logistics of disposal of waste from individual jobs. The messages also referred to rubbish being taken to the dump and ‘dump runs’ but some messages showed Allison knew Hutton was on occasion fly tipping the waste rather than disposing of it lawfully.
Speaking after the sentencing, Fiona Caldwell, who leads on wildlife and environmental crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “Fly-tipping causes the public real and legitimate concern. It is criminal behaviour which creates an eyesore and is costly to clear up and one that the local council must often carry.
“The deliberate and criminal actions of Stuart Allison and Steven Hutton show a clear disregard for the environment and undermines legitimate waste management companies. There is no excuse for illegal dumping of waste and, as with this case, where there is sufficient evidence of a crime and if it is appropriate and in the public interest to do so, we will prosecute.”
The fiscal told the court that most of the waste at Dalsetter Crescent was consumed by a fire on the evening of Friday July 24, 2020. However, there is no suggestion that either Allison or Hutton were involved in the fire.
The debris after the fire consisted of 51 tonnes of tyres and 17 tonnes of household waste. Glasgow City Council cleansing staff believed the volume of waste was significantly reduced by the fire.
Ten operators, a JCB shovel and operator and five artic lorries were required to clean up the site. The total cost of the operation to the public purse was estimated to be £10,000. Most of this estimated cost related to the removal and lawful disposal of tyres.
Allison and Hutton were not responsible for dumping the tyres. Another individual has previously been convicted and imprisoned in relation to dumping the tyres. The cost for removal of the household waste was approximately £1,900.
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