A Chepstow man has been handed 80 hours of community service unpaid work and ordered to pay a total of £1,192 in costs after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for fly-tipping and transporting waste without the correct documentation.
Robin Callaby, of Burnt Barn Road, Bulwark, Chepstow originally appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on Wednesday 14 May 2025 where he pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and failing in his duty of care transporting waste without a registered waste carriers licence. The case was adjourned for sentencing reports to be completed and Callaby re-appeared on Monday 23 June where Magistrates’ sentenced him to 80 hours of community service unpaid work and ordered him to pay £1,192 costs to the council.
The court heard that on Friday 30 August 2024, CCTV captured a fly-tip taking place in a gateway in Tockington Lane, Tockington. The CCTV footage was forwarded to South Gloucestershire Council’s environmental enforcement team for investigation.
The footage showed a tipper lorry driver parking in a gateway, inspecting the gate, lowering his tailboard, raising the tipper bed and dumping a quantity of carpets, tyres and white goods including a fridge and fridge freezer in the gateway to the field.
The flatbed tipper vehicle was identified along with its driver Callaby, and he was invited for interview at the council’s offices. He admitted that he was the man in the CCTV footage and had fly-tipped the waste in the gateway. Callaby also admitted that he uses his vehicle, and allows it to be used, to transport waste, although he does not have any kind of Registered Waste Carriers Licence. The interview concluded and he was reported for summons.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We will not tolerate illegal waste activity and anyone found failing in their duty of care for waste disposal in South Gloucestershire will be brought before the courts. There is never an excuse for illegally dumping waste and damaging the environment.
“Our advice is to be wary of 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 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
