Clearing out the rubbish from his car onto a District verge has cost a former litter picker £1,000 in court fines and costs.
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- Council: North Kesteven District Council
- Fine: £500
- Costs: £450
- Total: £950
Darren Paul Surridge of Salem Street, Gosberton was found guilty of fly tipping at Lincoln Magistrate’s Court after North Kesteven District Council brought the prosecution.
He was fined £500, with £450 added on for prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £50.
On July 25, a local farm worker saw Surridge clear the rubbish from his car on the B1178 near Bracebridge Heath and passed his registration number onto the Council. The waste comprised of drinks containers, food wrappers and plastic bags and included a till receipt from a local garage dated the same day. Using CCTV images from the garage of him and his car the Council was able to prove further that he was out and about that night.
Although he pleaded guilt y at the earliest stage by phone and letter – and also returned to clear up the waste a couple of days later – he did not engage further with the Council, failed to attend interviews and presented no defence. The court heard that one of his previous jobs had been as council litter picker.
Councillor Richard Wright, NKDC’s Executive Board Member with responsibility for enforcement, said this was a successful prosecution which showed how seriously the District Council regards fly-tipping and its zealous approach to maintaining a clean and tidy countryside for everyone to enjoy.
“This prosecution serves as a costly reminder of the need to dispose of all waste items carefully, properly and within the law. There is no reason why this waste could not have been taken home and placed in his recycling bin or even left in a waste bin at the garage when he bought fuel not long before going out of his way to dump it on a country lane.”
