A man from Emersons Green has been ordered to pay a total of £1,267 in fines and costs after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for waste offences following the discovery of a fly-tip.
Timothy Sullivan, 47, of Clematis Road in Emersons Green appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday 13 November. He pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and was ordered to pay a fine of £320, along with £819 in costs and a £128 victim surcharge, making a total of £1,267.
The court heard that on 12 July 2023 South Gloucestershire Council’s street cleansing team discovered a fly-tip of black bag household waste and other materials on a roadside verge at Siston Hill in Warmley, South Gloucestershire. The waste was removed for disposal by the operatives and a search of the bags by the council’s environmental enforcement officers revealed documents relating to Sullivan’s address at Clematis Road, Emersons Green.
Sullivan attended the council’s offices in Yate for voluntary interview on 3 August, where he was shown photographs of the fly-tip and documentation. He admitted that some the waste was his and claimed that he had been going to the Mangotsfield Sort It recycling centre but after waiting 15 minutes in a queue he had lost his patience and drove up to Siston Common where he deposited the black bags. The interview was concluded and he was informed that he was being reported for summons for the offence.
Councillor Leigh Ingham, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We all have a responsibility to ensure our waste is disposed of in a responsible and lawful way, not just discarded with an expectation that others will deal with it.
“This waste could have easily been disposed of at one of our Sort It recycling centres, but due to impatience, it was just dumped on the roadside.
“Rather than relying on fixed penalty notices, South Gloucestershire Council will always pursue fly-tip related prosecutions through the courts and our award-winning environmental enforcement team has a 100 per cent record of securing successful prosecutions for this type of offence.”
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
