Mr Erikas Pocevicius of Cobden Road, Peterborough pleaded guilty at Huntingdon Magistrates Court to fly-tipping in a prosecution brought by Huntingdonshire District Council.
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The council discovered 3½ tonnes of waste fly-tipped in a watercourse off the Bullock Road, near Caldecote. Following investigations, Council Enforcement Officers found that Mr Pocevicius had a fleet of vans, and worked as a charity collector, collecting bags for the ‘Dreams Come True’ charity via a company called Byronswell Ltd. He had accumulated a lot of waste at his premises from unwanted materials in these bags and had been served notice by Peterborough City Council to remove it. Instead of hiring a skip or finding other means to dispose of the waste lawfully, Mr. Pocevicius paid six other people to fly-tip the rubbish.
Shirley Tracey, solicitor for the council, told the court that Mr Pocevicius had only admitted the offences after his vans had become stuck in mud adjacent to the watercourse where he had fly-tipped, leaving him no option but to report the incident to the police.
The magistrates acknowledged that the fly-tipping was extremely serious and on a large scale. They commented that it was well organised, done for reward and with every indication it was premeditated. They imposed a prison sentence of four months suspended for two years, and ordered him to pay costs of £2,978.38 plus an £80 victim surcharge.
Councillor Darren Tysoe, Executive Council for the Environment, said: “Fly tipping is an increasing problem. It can have public health implications and is unsightly. We would encourage anyone with any information on fly-tipping to contact us as soon as possible so that we can investigate and, where possible, take further action.”
