A man from Woodley painted himself into a corner when he was caught fly-tipping a bag of paint tins and cans in a public car park. The incident took place in Lytham Road in Woodley on the morning of 30 April 2022.
A witness, who was sitting in their car, saw the man reverse park next to them, leaving one parking space between them. The man acted suspiciously as he got out of his van and started to look around. He then went to the side of his van, opening the sliding door and took out a black bin bag. The man dropped the bag on the ground behind his van and then drove off. The witness took a photo of the van and number plate.
The witness checked the black bin bag and discovered it contained tins and paint cans. Realising that the man had fly-tipped this waste, she immediately contacted the council’s anti-social behaviour team and provided them with the evidence.
Tracking down the fly-tipper
The anti-social behaviour team worked with Thames Valley Police to trace the van’s registration licence to an address in Woodley. The perpetrator was presented with the evidence and issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice, which has since been paid. The man cannot be named as he has paid the fixed penalty notice which discharges any further action. Failure to pay a fixed penalty notice would result in further action as the matter would be referred to court, which could result in a fine of up to £50,000 on conviction in a magistrate’s court or an unlimited fine if convicted in a crown court.
The council’s new executive member for environment, sport and leisure, Cllr Ian Shenton said: “Thanks to the quick thinking of our witness, we were able to successfully identify and trace the fly-tipped waste back to the perpetrator and hand him a £400 fixed penalty notice.
“I am urging all residents to check and double-check any waste disposal or ‘man in van’ service they use holds a valid waste carrier’s licence. You can check this in two minutes by visiting the Environment Agency’s website and typing in the name of the waste disposal or ‘man in van’ service. Remember that you are also responsible for keeping our borough clean and green and if we find fly-tipped waste and trace it back to you, as a householder you can also be fined or face prosecution. Don’t get caught out, check online or use our large, unwanted items service where we can collect up to five large items for £58.10.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping and anyone caught fly-tipping in our borough will be held accountable. On this occasion, the fly-tipper certainly painted himself into a corner.”
Report fly-tipping online
Residents who witness fly-tipping in the borough can report the information on the council’s website. All information is treated in confidence and if the information results in a successful prosecution, residents will receive a gift card of their choice to the value of £100.
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