South Gloucestershire Council has successfully prosecuted four individuals for environmental offences, including fly-tipping, dog fouling, and failure to comply with household waste duty of care.
Frantisek Mizera, 27, of Ruskin Grove, Bristol, was prosecuted for fly-tipping offences and fined a total of £2,182 after household waste was found dumped on Hambrook Lane, Stoke Gifford, in October 2024. The waste included children’s play equipment, doors, and general rubbish.
Enquiries led council officers to Mizera’s property, and he was later interviewed under caution about the incident. Mizera admitted full responsibility and confirmed he had been operating without a registered waste carrier’s licence, had failed to provide waste transfer notes to customers, and kept no records of waste transfers.
Mizera pleaded guilty to the offences at Bristol Magistrates’ Court and was fined £769, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £308, and prosecution costs of £1,105.
Philip Prince, 33, of Rock Cross, Rock, Kidderminster, was fined £320 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128 and costs of £1,522 after pleading guilty to fly-tipping.
In November 2024, the Council received reports of a large fly-tip on Church Lane, Old Sodbury, where approximately nine tonnes of clay-like waste had been dumped near the local church. CCTV footage showed a lorry depositing the waste.
Investigations revealed that the lorry was in Prince’s possession at the time of the offence, confirmed through company records and GPS tracking data. Prince was interviewed under caution and admitted negligence in failing to check the waste being unloaded from his trailer.
He appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 21 July 2025, where he pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and failing to prevent the escape of waste.
Ellis Cole, 24, of Courtney Way, Kingswood, was prosecuted for failing to comply with his household waste duty of care and ordered to pay a total of £760.
In January 2025, a fly-tip was reported in Kingswood at a known hotspot where the Council had installed CCTV and warning signs. The cameras recorded a white Ford Transit van dumping household waste and cardboard. Packaging found in the waste was later traced to Cole’s address.
Council officers visited Cole’s home and noticed the van parked nearby. Cole was invited to a voluntary interview under caution. He denied being the person in the footage and claimed to have paid £80 in cash to someone else to remove the waste, without obtaining a receipt or waste transfer note.
Cole was found guilty at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 21 July 2025, where he was fined £80, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80, and costs of £600.
Harry Watkins, 30, of Flatts Close, Stoke Gifford, was ordered to pay a total of £1,107 after being found guilty of multiple breaches of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) relating to dog fouling.
The PSPO requires dog owners across South Gloucestershire to clean up after their pets and carry the means to do so. In July 2024, Watkins was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) after his dog was seen fouling on the green outside Flatts Close.
However, between 3 September and 19 November 2024, 17 further incidents of dog fouling were captured on CCTV in the same communal garden area. Watkins was identified as the dog’s owner and invited to attend an interview under caution, where he admitted ownership and sole responsibility for the dog.
Watkins appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 21 July 2025, where he was fined £380, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128, and costs of £599.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, Cabinet Member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We take environmental offences very seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those who break the law. Prosecutions such as these help to make our communities cleaner and safer places, and it is inexcusable for someone to thoughtlessly dump their waste and expect others to foot the bill for clearing it up.
“The vast majority of owners clean up after their dogs, so I hope this prosecution serves as a warning to the small minority who aren’t as responsible. We will do everything within our power to keep our communities clean and free from the scourge of fly-tipping and dog fouling, and these prosecutions send a clear message that it will not be tolerated in South Gloucestershire.”
Residents who witness 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
To report a street issue such as dog fouling visit https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/report-litter-dog-fouling/
