Fly-tipper ordered to pay £994 for dumping rubbish in residential area
A fly-tipper has been ordered to pay almost £1,000 for dumping bags of rubbish and other material in a residential car park near her St Albans home.
St Albans City and District Council launched an environmental enforcement investigation after a member of the public reported the fly-tip at Century Close.
Officers inspected the rubbish and traced it to Stephanie Venes who lives on the street.
She was served with a £600 Fixed Penalty Notice for the criminal offence but refused to pay.
As a result, the Council launched a prosecution and she appeared before St Albans Magistrates Court accused of illegally fly-tipping household waste.
Venes pleaded guilty at the hearing earlier this month although she alleged much of the rubbish was not hers, a claim that was not accepted by the court.
Magistrates ordered her to pay a total of £994 within 14 days: a £120 fine, £226 in compensation to the Council, a £48 victim surcharge and a £600 contribution to the Council’s legal costs.
This is the eighth successful prosecution of fly-tippers that the Council has undertaken this year.
Councillor Helen Campbell, Chair of the Council’s Public Realm Committee, said:
Fly-tips, whatever size, are unsightly, a potential health hazard and cost considerable sums to clear up.
People should also be aware that fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by heavy fines and even imprisonment.
In this case, the offender refused to pay the Fixed Penalty Notice, so we felt we had no option but to take her to court, resulting in her having to pay a much bigger sum.
This is the eighth prosecution this year alone which demonstrates our commitment to taking action against offenders and deterring people from participating in this crime.
Photo: the fly-tip at Century Close.
Media contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City and District Council: 01727-919533; john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.