A man from Lockleaze in Bristol has been ordered to pay a total of £359 after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for failing to comply with his duty of care when disposing of his waste, which was then found dumped at locations in Severn Beach and Hambrook.
David Uren, 55, of Hogarth Walk in Lockleaze, Bristol, pleaded guilty to failing in his duty of care when the case was heard at Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday 17 October. He was ordered to pay £225 in clear up costs, a further £100 in costs and a £34 victim surcharge making a total of £359.
On 15 January 2022 South Gloucestershire Council received a report of fly-tipped waste at Church Road, Severn Beach, South Gloucestershire which consisted of a tipper lorry load of household waste, recycling waste and a fridge/freezer. Evidence found within that fly-tip revealed a bank statement in the name of Mr David Uren and his Lockleaze address.
Two days later (17 January) the council received another report of a further fly-tip at Curtis Lane, Hambrook, South Gloucestershire which consisted of a large quantity of household waste. Correspondence relating to the David Uren’s wife and son was found amongst the waste.
Following the council’s enquiries, David Uren attended South Gloucestershire Council’s offices in Yate on 22 February for a voluntary interview relating to both offences. During the interview, Uren explained that he had been approached by three men in mid-January who offered to remove household waste from his rear garden, which had accumulated over the last eight to 10 years. He stated that the men had previously carried out work for him in 2021 when he had some tree/garden work completed.
Uren explained that he had paid them £1,300 to remove the waste but had carried out no checks to see if they were authorised waste carriers and he had no details of who they were or who they may have worked for. He acknowledged that he had failed in his duty of care to ensure that the waste was going to be removed by an authorised person or that it would be disposed of legally.
Councillor Rachael Hunt, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “This case saw a large amount of waste collected without the correct legal paperwork and then fly-tipped without any consideration of the impact it would have on residents or the environment.
“We all have a responsibility to dispose of our waste in a responsible and lawful manner. If you hire a company 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. Failing to carry out these simple checks could mean you are found liable and face prosecution if the waste is illegally deposited.
“Our zero-tolerance approach means that anyone who fly-tips in South Gloucestershire is five times more likely to be prosecuted than anywhere else in the country. Our award-winning environmental enforcement team has a 100 per cent record of securing successful prosecutions for this type of offence and if you fail in your duty of care and allow rubbish to be fly-tipped here, you can expect to be caught and brought before the courts.”
Unwanted goods and household or garden waste can all be disposed of at no cost via the council’s Sort It recycling centres 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
