TRADESMAN PROSECUTED FOLLOWING FLY-TIPPING PROBE……FAKE GOODS SELLER ORDERED TO PAY BACK £150,000 .
Traders – as well as residents – are being warned to make checks before they allow someone else to dispose of their waste.
The warning follows a trader being prosecuted after a fly-tip incident was discovered on Skeet Hill, Orpington last year.
An Orpington man pleaded guilty to unlawfully transferring waste and failing to obtain a waste transfer note.
He was fined and ordered to pay costs totalling almost £800 at Bromley magistrates court.
The court was told that a fly-tip had been discovered in Skeet Hill Lane, Orpington in March of last year. Along with boxes, tyres, household waste, a door and a toilet, investigators found evidence linked to an address in Orpington where the man had been working.
The court heard that he had recently established a new business and had been unaware of the relevant rules regarding waste disposal and he admitted to passing on waste to unknown males who had cold called at the property he was working at.
He did not check that the cold-callers were licensed nor did he receive the appropriate paperwork upon waste transfer. The court concluded the man had acted naively rather than with criminal intent and therefore imposed a lower fine than would normally be expected for an offence of this kind, which could potentially have been up to £5,000.
The court concluded the man had acted naively rather than with criminal intent and therefore imposed a lower fine than would normally be expected for an offence of this kind, which could potentially have been up to £5,000.
The offender was ordered to pay £648 in costs to Bromley council in addition to £130 to courts and a £20 victim surcharge.
“Legally, anyone who collects waste as a business activity must be authorised to collect and receive waste” explained a Bromley council spokesman.
“Businesses and householders are being reminded to make the necessary checks or risk prosecution.”
Bromley’s executive councillor for environment Cllr Colin Smith said: “We all need to be a lot wiser and smarter when we dispose of waste, mindful of our own responsibilities and the distinct possibility that if we are not careful, our actions could simply result in waste being fly-tipped somewhere nearby.
“Fly-tipping is not victimless and apart from the clear-up costs for the often disgusting mess, the results can also not only be extremely dangerous.
“The case highlights the importance of both tradesmen and residents undertaking waste carrier checks before passing on waste to other parties. “I would advise anyone responding to someone on their doorstep to be extremely cautious of any offers to remove their waste for a small fee.”
(Source: Bromley council press release)
FAKE GOODS SELLER ORDERED TO PAY BACK £150,000 .
A convicted rogue trader has been ordered to pay £150,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and over £10,357 in legal costs.
The confiscation hearing, brought forward by Southwark Council’s trading standards team, ordered the trader to pay back the amount within 28 days or a default sentence of 12 months imprisonment would be imposed.
He had originally convicted of Trade Marks offences in February 2015 at Snaresbrook Crown Court after being found with a car load of fake designer goods such as Dolce & Gabbana, Nike, Lacoste, Christian Dior, Versace, Ralph Lauren, Y-3, Superdry, G-Star and True Religion.
At the time he was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and issued with an 80 hours community order.
Southwark’s cabinet member for communities and safety Cllr Michael Situ said: “We want Southwark to have a strong local economy – where legitimate business can thrive free from unfair competition – and where consumers are not deceived into buying sub-standard fake goods.
“This result should serve as a warning that the council will take firm action against those that deal in illicit, fake and unsafe goods to ensure they do not benefit from their crime.”
The confiscation order is split between HM Treasury, Southwark Council and the Confiscation Unit. The council are required to reinvest the amount received on enforcement. (Source: Southwark council press release)
