Resident ordered to pay more than £2,600 for fly-tipping offence
A fly-tipper has been ordered to pay more than £2,600 after a large amount of waste was dumped on a quiet country road.
St Albans City and District Council’s Environmental Enforcement team spotted the fly-tip at Drop Lane, Park Street, during a routine inspection of the area.
Among the rubbish were wooden pallets, an old sofa, plastic packaging, bottles and takeaway food bags.
The name of Mashood Hussain, of Haig Close, St Albans, was found on some of the material.
When interviewed by Council officers, he refused to make any comment and was later issued with a court summons.
Hussain pleaded not guilty to failing to properly dispose of the waste, a duty of care offence under the Environmental Protection Act.
He told St Albans Magistrates Court that he had merely ordered some garden items for a project overseen by a relative and was not involved in the disposal of the waste.
After a short trial, Magistrates found him guilty and ordered him to pay a £375 fine, a victim surcharge of £150 and a £2,163 contribution to the Council’s legal costs, a total of £2,668.
After the hearing on Monday 12 May, Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Lead for Recycling and Waste, said:
I am pleased that our Environmental Enforcement team has achieved another successful prosecution.
I know that fly-tipping greatly annoys our residents. It is not only an eyesore and a blight on the landscape, but also a potential health hazard and is costly to clear up.
This prosecution will remind people that fly-tipping is a criminal offence that can result in large fines and even a jail term in the most serious cases.
It also shows that we are determined to track down offenders and deal with them appropriately.
Photo: the Drop Lane fly-tip.
Media contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727- 819533; john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.