Fly-tipper in the hot seat after being caught dumping rubbish in lay-by
A man from Ruislip, who was caught dumping a sofa in a lay-by in Buckinghamshire, has been prosecuted in court.
Mark Mills, 39, of Lovatt Drive, Ruislip, pleaded guilty to the offence of illegally dumping waste when he appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates Court on Wednesday 29 March 2023.
The court heard that on Wednesday 8 June 2022, waste comprising a sofa and sofa parts was found dumped at West Hyde Lane in Chalfont St Peter. Buckinghamshire Council’s Enforcement Team carries out regular surveillance in the area due to it being heavily blighted with fly-tipping and caught Mills in the act.
A camera recorded the suspect’s vehicle arriving in the daytime and the driver was filmed fly-tipping waste into the bushes of a rough lay-by. The vehicle was traced back to a removal company in Slough and then 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 where he reluctantly admitted the dumping offence.
Magistrates fined 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.
Gareth Williams, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment 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% 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 funding from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) 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.
