A Bristol man has been ordered to pay £898 in fines and costs after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for waste offences following the discovery of a fly-tip that blocked a country lane.
James Talbot, 29, of East Parade in Sea Mills, Bristol, appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday 3 February 2025 where he pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and transporting waste without the correct paperwork. Talbot is already the subject to a 12 month Community Order with a mental health requirement and had existing fines from a previous court case. The Magistrates’ fined him an additional £320, awarded costs to the council of £450, and a victim surcharge of £128 – totalling £898.
The court heard that Talbot operates a garden landscaping and waste clearance business named ‘Bristol Landscaping Company’ which he advertises through a Facebook page of the same name and also through his personal Facebook page ‘Jme Talbot’.
On the morning of Monday 19 August 2024, a resident of Henbury, Bristol, contacted Talbot to remove some household waste from his home. They exchanged messages and agreed a price of £80 to have the waste taken away later that day.
Talbot attended the informant’s address with another man, arriving in a Ford Transit drop-side/tipper bodied truck. Waste from the resident’s garage, which included carpet underlay and polystyrene packaging, was taken away in the vehicle.
On the evening of Thursday 22 August, local Police contacted South Gloucestershire Council regarding a fly-tip that was completely blocking the roadway at Awkley Lane, South Gloucestershire, and causing a danger to motorists. On-call council officers attended to clear the waste to either side of the road, and the next morning the council’s fly-tip team attended along with enforcement officers to clear the waste and look for evidence. An envelope addressed to the Henbury resident was found amongst the waste.
The following day, council officers attended the address and showed the resident images of the fly-tipped waste. The resident confirmed the tipped waste was his property that had been removed earlier that week by James Talbot of Bristol Landscaping.
Talbot was interviewed by environmental enforcement officers at the council’s Yate offices on Thursday 3 October. During the interview Talbot fully admitted that he attended the Henbury address and took waste away with an unnamed employee for payment. The Transit tipper was his vehicle, but Talbot claimed it was being driven by the employee as he does not have a driving licence. Talbot stated that he instructed the employee to take this waste to a Waste Transfer Station and provided payment for him to do so but realised now that this had not been done, and the waste was subsequently fly-tipped without his knowledge.
Talbot confirmed that he had a Lower Tier Waste Carrier’s Licence and stated that he didn’t realise he needed an Upper Tier Licence to allow him to carry other people’s waste for profit. He did not produce any Waste Transfer Notes despite being served a Notice to Furnish these documents to the council when attending for interview. Talbot was unwilling to name the employee he claimed to be responsible for fly-tipping the waste at Awkley Lane and to date has still not provided these details.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We want to send a clear message to anyone who fails in their duty of care for waste disposal in South Gloucestershire that they will be brought before the courts. There is never an excuse for fly-tipping and damaging the environment.
“This man is not only a serial offender, but by blocking Awkley Lane by dumping this waste in the middle of the road, he has shown a complete disregard for the law or other people in the area.
“Our advice to residents, is to be wary of businesses or people advertising waste clearances on social media sites such as Facebook. There are a number of legitimate options for waste removal, including the council’s large household waste collection service. If you hire a third-party to dispose of your waste, always ask for a copy of the company’s waste carrier registration certificate and ask where the waste is being taken.
“Prosecutions like these protect our environment and create cleaner and safer places for our communities. These are key priorities of the Liberal Democrat/ Labour partnership.”
Residents and businesses are advised to only give their rubbish to an Environment Agency registered waste carrier.
You can carry out these simple steps to make sure your waste is disposed of legally:
• Ask for a copy of the company’s waste carrier registration certificate and ask where the waste is being taken. Legitimate firms will be happy to provide this information.
• Do not be tempted to use people offering cheap waste clearance on sites such as Facebook and Gumtree unless you have confirmed that they are registered with the Environment Agency
• Check whether the waste carrier is registered by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 or by checking on their website https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers
• Ask for a registered trading address and contact telephone number for the trader and get a receipt.
Household waste can be taken to the council’s Sort It recycling centres where it can be disposed of at no cost www.southglos.gov.uk/sortitcentres
Residents who see illegal fly-tipping are encouraged to report it by contacting the council’s StreetCare helpdesk on 01454 868000, emailing streetcare@southglos.gov.uk or visiting www.southglos.gov.uk/flytipping
