A householder who paid someone £40 to take away their rubbish ended up being fined £300 after the waste was fly-tipped at Bottesford Beck.
The unsightly pile of debris – which included furniture, polystyrene and household waste – was reported after being dumped at the local beauty spot.
North Lincolnshire Council officers examined the waste and found an address in Scunthorpe, which they contacted.
The householders said they had paid £40 to someone to dispose of the rubbish after finding them via social media, but were unable to provide the rogue trader’s name or address.
They admitted they had not checked the person was a legitimate registered waste carrier and were issued with a Duty of Care Fixed Penalty Notice of £400, reduced to £300 due to early payment within ten days.
Fixed penalty notices provide a means of dealing with fly-tipping enforcement without the need to present evidence in court. This means it can be resolved more quickly where people admit the offence.
However, if it would cost more to clear up the fly-tipping than the fine would recover, officers will pursue a criminal prosecution.
We are currently investigating more fly-tipping cases, and anyone who does not ensure their rubbish is properly disposed of can expect a fine.
Residents are urged to think carefully before giving waste to people advertising online.
If someone offers to take your waste away for little cost, it is likely they aren’t licensed, and your rubbish could end up dumped in our rural areas – and you could be slapped with a fine.
More information about how to check if someone is a registered waste carrier is available on the fly-tipping section of our website.
The council is waging war on fly-tippers and litter as part of our commitment to enhance the local environment and make North Lincolnshire cleaner and greener.
We spend more than £1 million a year cleaning up after other people and are currently dealing with an average of 75 fly-tipping cases every week.
Co-ordinated operations, such as last week’s mass clean-up on Mortal Ash Hill, and our support of local litter-picking groups, bring communities together to wage war on litter and give us a region to be proud of.
Flytipping can be reported via the dedicated form on our website, where you can also see a map of North Lincolnshire showing where we are currently dealing with reports.
We are also encouraging people to join us in signing up to the Great British Spring Clean, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, taking place between 18 May and 13 June 2021.
