A woman from Patchway has been ordered to pay a total of £700 in fines and costs after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted her following the discovery of fly-tipped household and garden waste.
Neta Jones, 55, of Bradley Road, Patchway appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on 2 March. She pleaded guilty to failing in her duty of care for waste and was handed a £200 fine, ordered to pay costs of £420 and a victim surcharge of £80.
The court heard that starting in July 2025, various Patchway residents noticed earth and other waste began to be fly-tipped against a wall on the car parking area at Arlingham Way in Patchway, South Gloucestershire. The waste included several tonnes of earth, black bin bags, carpet and a cut out part of a preformed plastic pond. There is a ‘No Fly-Tipping’ sign clearly displayed in this car park area.
The rear garden of Neta Jones backed onto the Arlingham Way Car parking area. It was about 20 metres away and in direct sight of the fly-tip. Her rear garden contained a recently dug pond, some pre-formed plastic pond liner and carpet similar in every respect to items in the fly-tip.
On Thursday 23 October South Gloucestershire Council’s environmental enforcement officers interviewed Jones under caution at her home address. She claimed that only the earth, pond liner and 5 or 6 of the black bags containing household waste on the fly-tip were from her home.
She stated that when she arranged for someone to dig her garden and install the pond she had not made, confirmed or arranged for the proper disposal of any waste, including earth. She further claimed to have not been present (in July 2025) when the earth from her garden had been fly-tipped but she was aware that the ‘pond’ waste from her garden had been dumped in the car park.
She further stated that she had later paid the same man who dug her pond to take away 5 or 6 black bags of household waste, but he had dumped them on the same fly-tip as the earth and piece of pond liner. She refused to name or identify this man so was informed she was being reported for summons for the offence of failing in her householder waste duty of care.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “Illegally dumped waste is not only unsightly and can negatively impact communities, but it is also a serious environmental crime that costs the council time and money to clear. We all have a duty to dispose of our waste responsibly and that includes when dealing with third party waste collectors.
“Residents are advised to be wary of cold callers and 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, make a note of their details 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.
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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
