A man from Soundwell has been ordered to pay a total of £1,417 in fines and costs after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for waste offences following the discovery of fly-tipped waste.
David Whitfield, 51, of Soundwell Road, Soundwell, appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday 11 November. He pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and was handed a £320 fine, ordered to pay £969 in costs and a £128 victim surcharge, making a total of £1,417.
The court heard that on 24 June 2024 the council received a report of fly-tipping on North View in Soundwell. Environmental enforcement officers made enquiries in the area and recovered CCTV from a nearby property that captured the offence in full. It showed a Blue Peugeot Expert motor vehicle parking up at the side of the road and one lone male, later identified as Whitfield, who gets out and starts to deposit multiple fridge/freezers and a roll of carpet blocking the pedestrian pathway. The driver then leaves the scene.
Relevant checks were completed and the vehicle’s registered keeper’s details obtained. Whitfield attended an interview at the council’s Yate offices on 15 of August, where he was shown both pictures and CCTV of the waste and it being deposited. Whitfield confirmed that it was his vehicle used and that he was responsible. The interview was concluded, and he was reported for summons.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We take fly-tipping and illegal waste disposal very seriously as it can have a serious impact on the environment and communities.
“Everyone has a responsibility to ensure that their waste is disposed of in a responsible and lawful manner, not just discarded for someone else to clear away.
“South Gloucestershire Council always pursues fly-tip related prosecutions through the courts. Our award-winning environmental enforcement team has a 100 per cent record of securing successful prosecutions for this type of offence.”
Residents and businesses are advised to only give their rubbish to an Environment Agency registered waste carrier.
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
