Residents are being asked to keep up their part in the fight against fly-tipping by staying vigilant, especially as households look to clear out and dispose of rubbish during the warmer summer weather.
The Council takes a no tolerance approach to fly-tipping together with partners across the countywide Environmental Crime Partnership. Suspected fly-tipping can be reported to the Council at any time at n-kesteven.gov.uk/flytipping
Any waste left on land without permission is fly-tipping, from dumping spoils onto private farms and rural tracks to household rubbish bags left in lay-bys or other areas. It has strict penalties including fines, vehicles seized or even prison sentences because it harms communities and the environment, and incurs costs
It follows a combined total of £11,598.87 in fines, court costs and surcharges handed to five people over the last four months – plus a driving ban to one of them – after they were caught fly-tipping in North Kesteven.
Reece Lawson,25, of Winthorpe Road in Newark, has been ordered to pay £1,128 after dumping four refuse sacks from a vehicle on Norton Lane, Thurlby Moor. The amount consists of a fine of £480 reduced following an early guilty plea, plus contribution to costs of £600 and a victim surcharge of £48.
William Jones,41, of Lowfield Paddocks in Stragglethorpe, is currently under a three month driving ban until 24 July after admitting fly-tipping in Holdingham. The ban was handed to him on Monday 25 April in proceedings at Boston Magistrates’ Court, following a joint investigation by North Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire Police’s Rural Crime Team.
Jones admitted dumping rubbish at the Holdingham Biogas site including gas canisters, tree branches and green waste, toys and a wooden storage shed on 28 August last year. CCTV images captured the items being tipped from a truck.
In addition to the driving ban Jones was ordered to pay a total of £3,388.25 – consisting of a £1,600 fine reduced for his early guilty plea, £695.50 in clean-up costs, £932.75 in legal costs and an £160 victim surcharge.
Meanwhile Bryn Davies, 37, of Station Road in Harmston, was ordered to pay £1,050 in total after he was caught by CCTV cameras fly-tipping in his own village. Davies pleaded guilty to fly-tipping household waste at Blackmoor Road in Harmston and was fined £500 at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 14 April. He was also ordered to pay an additional £50 victim surcharge and £500 contribution to court costs.
The CCTV cameras which caught the offence had been fitted at the lay-by to tackle fly-tipping there, in addition to the Scrap Fly-tipping public awareness campaign supported by the Council and partners.
Also earlier this year, on Tuesday 12 April, Connor Moon, 29, from Chatsworth Road in Newark pleaded guilty at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court to fly-tipping tyres and household waste at Stapleford Woods. He was fined £480 and a victim surcharge of £48, in addition to court costs of £1,513.62.
And Keith Saunders, 33, from Arthur Street in Lincoln, owner of City Construction in Lincoln was ordered to pay a total of £3,991.00 after a joint investigation by North Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire Police’s Rural Crime Team.
On Thursday 21 January last year, a witness reported seeing rubble being fly-tipped on The Avenue in Swinderby. A Ford Transit was seen leaving the scene of a deposit of builders’ waste, which could be linked to a company called City Construction. On Saturday 19 June 2021 another incident of fly tipping was reported at a rural location on Dycote Lane in Welbourn, with construction waste which through investigation was linked to a company named City Construction.
North Kesteven District Council officers together with the Rural Crime Team made detailed enquiries and on Friday 11 March this year Saunders, owner of City Construction, pleaded guilty at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court to two offences of fly-tipping on the basis that he was in control of the business and had failed to ensure that the waste was properly disposed of.
He received a fine of £2,133, reduced from £3,200 for guilty plea. He was also ordered to pay legal costs of £816 and clean-up costs of £385, plus a contribution to legal costs of £476 and victim surcharge of £181.
North Kesteven District Council Leader Councillor Richard Wright, said:
“Fly-tipping on any scale is not acceptable or excusable, and we take a no tolerance approach to it in our District as these cases show and through our involvement in the county-wide Environmental Crime Partnership. Where fly-tipping does occur we will investigate and take all action we can, including bringing cases to court with partners including Lincolnshire Police.
“During the warm weather summer usually brings, we know lots of people like to take the opportunity to clear out their homes and garages of clutter. We’re asking residents to continue playing their part by ensuring they know where their waste is going and by staying vigilant to unscrupulous carriers, as this can make all the difference in preventing fly-tipping.
“You can use the SCRAP code to ensure anyone who takes your waste away is a legitimate waste carrier who will deal with your rubbish properly. It’s your responsibility to know what’s happened with your waste and together we can all help protect our environment from those who think they can dump rubbish in it.”
Ayeisha Kirkham, Chair of the Environmental Crime Partnership, said:
“Fly-tipping blights our natural spaces, ruins our enjoyment of the places we live in, and poses a danger to wildlife. In built up areas it can also pose a danger to pets and people and attract pests.
“Households are some of our greatest allies in preventing fly-tipping from happening in the first instance and we thank everyone who stays vigilant and ensures they dispose of waste correctly, including at Household Waste Recycling Centres or through legitimate waste carriers and bulky waste services. By remembering the SCRAP fly-tipping code this summer, you can make a real impact.”
There were 1,537 fly-tips found in North Kesteven between April 2020 and March 2021 with reporting helped by eagle-eyed residents who during Covid were traversing more of their surrounding areas. In April 2021 to March 22 there were 1,155 in comparison, with residents continuing to alert the Council to fly-tips.
If you have some work done on your property or if you pay someone to take away your waste, make sure they are registered with the Environment Agency. You can check at environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers If a person is buying or collecting scrap metal they also need the correct licences. See n-kesteven.gov.uk/business/licensing/business-licences-and-conditions/business-licences/scrap-metal-dealer-licensing/
Remember:
- SUSPECT all waste carriers; do not let them take your waste until they have proven themselves to be legitimate. A professional waste carrier should happily answer reasonable questions.
- CHECK their waste carrier’s registration details, then verify them by searching the Environment Agency website or by calling 03708 506 506. Note down the registration number of the vehicle used to take your waste away.
- REFUSE unexpected offers to have any rubbish taken away. If you do not trust that someone who you have spoken to will be disposing of waste legally, report their vehicle registration and name to the Environment Agency.
- ASK what will happen to your rubbish and seek evidence that it is going to be disposed of appropriately.
- PAPERWORK should be obtained. Make sure you get a full receipt and waste transfer note for your waste removal. This should give a description of the waste and provide the waste carrier’s licence number and contact details.
If you see fly-tipping which has occurred you can report it at any time via the Council’s website at n-kesteven.gov.uk/flytipping or to Lincolnshire Police via its website.
If you witness a fly-tip happening, don’t put yourself in danger. Do make note of any vehicle registration number involved if you can, take photos of the rubbish when safe to do so and use What3Words to help provide an accurate location of the fly-tip when reporting it. If someone is in danger, call 999.