Bucks fly-tipper hit with hefty fine for dumping sofa in lay-by
A man who was caught dumping a sofa in a lay-by in Buckinghamshire has been hit with a fine after a court hearing. Ruislip man Mark Mills pleaded guilty to illegally dumping waste in Chalfont St Peter last summer.
Mills, 39, appeared at High Wycombe[1] Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, March 29 having been caught in the act on camera. The court heard that he dumped a sofa and parts at West Hyde Lane, which has been blighted with fly-tipping.
As a result, the enforcement team at Buckinghamshire Council[2] carries out regular surveillance in the area and caught Mills, of Lovatt Drive, Ruislip, red-handed. A camera recorded the suspect’s vehicle arriving in the daytime and the driver was filmed fly-tipping waste into the bushes of a lay-by.
The vehicle was traced back to a removal company in Slough and then was later found to have been in the possession of Mark Mills on the date of the offence. Mr Mills attended an interview at the council offices in Aylesbury[4] where he reluctantly admitted the dumping offence.
Magistrates duly fined[5] Mills £768 and ordered him to pay a contribution of £85 towards the council’s clean-up and investigation costs. A victim surcharge of £77 was also levied, making a total to pay of £930.
The sofa and parts dumped in Chalfont St Peter by Mark Mills (Image: Buckinghamshire Council)
Gareth Williams, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment[6] said: “We carry out regular surveillance, targeting fly-tipping across the county as part of our zero-tolerance approach. Our investigations show that around 70 per cent of waste dumped in Bucks has been brought in from other areas, as was the case with this incident and tackling this onslaught is a key priority.
“What is even more galling with this case is the fact that the offender could have recycled this waste free of charge at his local council recycling centre but instead he chose to break the law and dump it illegally in Bucks.” Last year Buckinghamshire Council was successful in gaining £50,000 of government[7] funding from DEFRA to address the issue of cross-border fly-tipping in Buckinghamshire.
This funding is being used in a range of different ways including filling in roadside areas prone to fly-tipping and using specialist cameras to record footage of those illegally dumping waste in the county so they can be traced and prosecuted. Fly-tipping can be reported to the council via the authority’s website[8].
References
- ^ High Wycombe (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Buckinghamshire Council (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ London ULEZ expansion plans spark petition to remove Sadiq Khan as London Mayor signed by hundreds in Bucks (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Aylesbury (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ fined (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Environment (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ government (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ authority’s website (www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk)
References
- ^ High Wycombe (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Buckinghamshire Council (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ London ULEZ expansion plans spark petition to remove Sadiq Khan as London Mayor signed by hundreds in Bucks (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Aylesbury (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ fined (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Environment (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ government (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ authority’s website (www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk)
References
- ^ High Wycombe (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Buckinghamshire Council (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ London ULEZ expansion plans spark petition to remove Sadiq Khan as London Mayor signed by hundreds in Bucks (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Aylesbury (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ fined (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ Environment (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ government (www.buckinghamshirelive.com)
- ^ authority’s website (www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk)