South Gloucestershire Council continues to take action against fly-tipping in the area with two successful prosecutions in court at the end of September.
A Yate man has been ordered to pay a total of £718 In fines and costs South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for fly-tipping, after garden waste was found dumped at Sodbury little Lane, Codrington.
Bob Stark, 28, of Cranleigh Court Road in Yate entered a guilty plea when he appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on Friday 29 September. He was fined £320 and ordered to pay costs of £270 and a victim surcharge of £270, making a total of £718.
The court heard that the fly-tipped garden waste was discovered on 17 March 2025 strewn across the middle of the road and in a hedgerow, causing a potential hazard to road users. Officers from the council’s environmental enforcement team found an address label amongst the waste relating to an address in Thornbury, and it was subsequently established that Stark had agreed to dispose of the waste in return for the loan of a trailer it was stored upon.
When interviewed at the council’s offices, Stark was shown images of the dumped waste and doorbell footage of him borrowing the trailer. He claimed that he’d disposed of the waste in communal bins attached to flats in Fishponds, however it was established that this too would have been classed as fly-tipping as he is not a resident of the flats, and it was not domestic waste generated from that location. At the conclusion of the interview Stark was advised that he was being reported for summons for the offence of fly-tipping.
A Wiltshire man was ordered to pay £660 after he pleaded guilty to fly-tipping, following the discovery of a dumped bed and bags of rubble at Kingsfield Lane, Longwell Green.
Samuel Wardle, 48, of Lourdes Crescent, Hungerford, appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on Friday 29 September. He was fined £320 and ordered to pay costs of £340.
The bed and bags were found fly-tipped on 26 March 2025. CCTV captured the waste being dumped by a male in a vehicle that was found to belong to Wardle. He was interviewed at the council offices where he stated that his parents lived in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, and he had disposed of the waste on Kingsfield Lane during one of his visits. He was summonsed for the offence of fly-tipping.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “I’m really pleased to see more of the environmental enforcement team’s prosecutions successfully conclude. We will not tolerate illegal waste activity in South Gloucestershire and we want to send the clear message that anyone found flouting the law will be brought before the courts.
“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
