THE owner of a Middlesbrough car repair business has been hit with the maximum possible court fine for trading and waste offences.
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- Council: Middlesbrough Council
- Fine: £13,000
- Costs: £1,915.83
- Total: £14,915.83
Paul Jeffries was ordered to pay more than £15,000 in fines and costs by Teesside Magistrates at a hearing on Tuesday.
At an earlier appearance the 44-year-old pleaded guilty to eight offences of repairing cars in the street, and this week Magistrates found him guilty in his absence of failing to provide proof of waste disposal arrangements.
The court heard how Jeffries had used the road outside his Get Smart Autos premises on Greta Street, Middlesbrough to repair cars, blocking access for other road users.
CCTV footage showed cars choking up the pavement and road, forcing pedestrians, including some with pushchairs, to walk into the road to pass the premises. In other cases vehicles could not pass, causing traffic jams.
Concerns were also raised over waste disposal arrangements, resulting in the issuing of a legal notice seeking copies of his waste disposal records.
However these were not provided, leading to a fixed penalty notice which Jeffries failed to pay.
Magistrates heard how he could not demonstrate what he did with his waste for a period of 13 months, leading to concerns about illegal waste disposal during that period.
Jeffries, of Redcar Road, Thornaby, was fined £1,000 for each of eight offences of repairing cars on the street, and a further £5,000 at this week’s hearing for failing to provide proof of waste disposal arrangements.
The case was heard in his absence after he failed to attend court despite securing a number of previous adjournments.
Jeffries was also ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £1,915.83 and a victim surcharge of £120, making a total of £15,035.83.
Councillor Tracy Harvey, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Environment, said:
“This is a landmark case that demonstrates the importance of making proper arrangements to dispose of business waste and keeping appropriate records.
“In the last financial year, illegal waste disposal cost the Council Tax payers in Middlesbrough £214,000 to deal with, so we are keen to stamp it out and are very grateful for the Magistrates’ support.”
