FLY-TIPPED ON PRIVATE LAND – FINED TOTAL OF £185
A West Wickham resident has been caught on CCTV and prosecuted for fly-tipping rubbish at the rear of business premises in Petts Wood.
Following a hearing at Bromley magistrates court, the man pleaded guilty to the fly-tipping offence. He was ordered to pay a total of £185 which included a fine of £80 plus £85 costs to the council and a £20 victim surcharge.
Bromley’s executive councillor for environment Cllr Colin Smith said: “In this instance the fly-tipped rubbish was on private property and consequently the business owner had to dispose of the waste at his own expense. “That simply isn’t right or fair.
“I would respectfully remind everybody that they can deposit household rubbish free of charge at either Waldo Road or Churchfields Road, both of which are served by webcam technology to help time your visits and minimise queuing times.
“Whether you’re a householder or a business, it is totally wrong and thoroughly anti-social to dump rubbish on public land or other people’s property, so please don’t.
“I simply cannot stress strongly enough to anyone in the small minority minded to behave in this manner that the council will be looking for you and with the help of decent, law-abiding people, will eventually find and prosecute you.”
The court heard that in March 2016, a fly-tipper was caught on CCTV dumping waste at the rear of a business premises. The council’s Enviro-crime Enforcement Officer investigated and reviewed the CCTV footage.
It showed a man in a white hatchback car unloading large bags of waste – in shopping bags and sacks – along with a paint pot and plastic sheeting. The items were dumped on the ground before he drove away. Investigations revealed the identity of the driver, who was subsequently prosecuted for the fly-tipping offence.
Residents are asked to be on the alert and if they see anyone dumping rubbish, to telephone the police and call the council with a detailed description of the vehicle and those involved in the crime.
Information can be reported confidentially online at www.bromley.gov.uk/envirocrime. If the information provided helps successfully prosecute an offender, an enviro-crime reward of up to £500 may be given as a thank you.
The council is not responsible for removing dumped rubbish on private land which includes fields, areas maintained by Housing Associations, residential gardens and private alleyways.
The land owner is liable for removal and if the dumped rubbish is not removed and contains material that could attract pests or pose a risk to public health, the council may take enforcement action against the land owner.
Dumped rubbish is cleared from the public highway by council contractors – usually within five working days of being reported at www.bromley.gov.uk/report – depending on the quantity involved and location.
In some instances, arrangements may need to be made for a special vehicle to remove large-scale fly-tips.
Residents and businesses have a duty of care to dispose of their waste responsibly or they could face a substantial fine or court action under the Environment Protection Act 1990 Section 33 (1).
Householders should be cautious about giving their garden or building waste to cold callers offering a seemingly cheap price to remove it. By law, waste carriers must pay to dispose waste at a waste transfer station but unauthorised waste carriers may evade these costs by dumping it.
To ensure the business is legitimate, residents are advised to ask to see their waste carriers licence or check online at www.gov.uk/find-registered-waste-carrier before handing over any waste.
Anyone choosing to use an unauthorised waste carrier risks a fine of up to £5,000 if the waste is dumped and traced back to the householder.
Trade waste must be disposed of either through the council’s business waste disposal service or a commercial licensed waste carrier.
Tradespeople may take their business waste to a waste transfer station and dispose of it themselves but they must be registered as a waste carrier to do so.
Businesses wishing to arrange regular trade waste collections should visit www.bromley.gov.uk/wastenews or call 0300 303 8658.
More information and advice on how to dispose of all types of waste is available at www.bromley.gov.uk/wastenews
A Bromley council spokesman said: “Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste which can be anything from a single black bag of domestic waste to a lorry load of construction waste. “As well as damaging our environment, every year fly-tipping costs millions nationally to investigate and clear up.”
