Failure to Check Waste Disposal Costs Couple £300 for Fly-tipping

Published on: 13 Feb, 2019
Updated on: 15 Feb, 2019

The fly-tipped rubbish that got a Ripley couple a £300 fine.

A Ripley couple has been fined £300 by Guildford council officials in the Joint Enforcement Team (JET) after they paid a man to take away household waste and he fly-tipped it.

They had refurbished their bathroom and a man who saw the old bathroom suite and rubbish in their garden offered to dispose of it for cash. They failed to check his credentials.

Graham Ellwood, lead councillor for Licensing, Environmental Health and Community Safety, said: “We take this extremely seriously; it is a crime that affects the environment.

“People must take extra caution when disposing of waste. Checking whether a company is a registered waste-carrier is quick and easy. People must remember they have a duty of care and a responsibility to dispose of their litter correctly.”

Cllr Graham Ellwood

The couple were identified by paperwork found in the rubbish. After an interview under caution, they chose to pay a fixed penalty notice of £300 rather than face prosecution.

Guildford JET officers have also issued three £150 fixed penalty tickets to motorists seen throwing litter from vehicles. Recent changes in legislation allow the council to impose the tickets on the DVLA-registered owner of vehicles from which litter is seen being thrown.

It is an offence to fly-tip rubbish or for residents or businesses to give waste to someone who fly-tips it. To report fly-tipping, contact www.guildford.gov.uk/report or call 01483 505050.

To dispose of waste, first check the company against the list of registered waste-carriers https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/index get a receipt and keep this information for six months.