A tradesman who dumped more than 20 sacks of rubbish on a city street has been hit with a bill for £1,080 after being prosecuted by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
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- Council: Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Fine: £380
- Costs: £700
- Total: £1,080
John Woolley, of Stanier Street, Fenton, pleaded guilty on Monday at Newcastle Justice Centre to an offence under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act, 1990, which covers fly-tipping.
The court heard that Woolley had offered to remove the bags of domestic waste for a neighbour, but that instead of taking the bags to a licensed waste site, he had dumped them illegally in Booth Street, Stoke, on May 24, 2012.
The fly-tipped sacks were reported to Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Environmental Crime Unit, which was able to trace the waste back to Woolley’s neighbour.
Under questioning by ECU officers, the neighbour revealed that she had paid Woolley £60 to dispose of the rubbish.
Woolley was subsequently interviewed under caution, but denied the offence. However he changed his plea to guilty after hearing the council’s evidence in court.
A district judge fined Woolley £380 and ordered him to pay £700 towards the authority’s clean-up and investigation costs.
Councillor Andy Platt, the city council’s cabinet member for green enterprises and clean city, said:
“This flagrant case of fly-tipping led to a costly and complex investigation to identify the culprit and bring them to justice. The successful outcome is testament to the dedication of the council’s Environmental Crime Unit and shows the lengths that we will go to in order to prosecute offenders.
“Fly-tipping is a serious crime that costs this authority and the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds a year. We can’t afford to clean up after irresponsible tradesmen at a time when our frontline services and budgets are under intense pressure.
“Woolley knew he was breaking the law when he dumped the rubbish. He might have thought he was making a quick profit, but it has ended up costing him very dear.”
He added: “Under the law, it is also an offence to allow your waste to be fly-tipped, and we would therefore urge residents who pay someone else to remove rubbish for them to always use a reputable waste carrier and check that they have a licence.”
