A Frenchay man has been ordered to pay a total of £938 in fines and costs after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for failing in his duty of care after a fly-tip took place in Wick, South Gloucestershire.
Ronald Shaw of Worrell Road, Frenchay appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on 13 October. He was found guilty of failing his householder duty of care regarding waste, and handed a £120 fine, ordered to pay costs of £770 and a victim surcharge of £48, making a total of £938.
The court heard that on Saturday 5 April 2025, a fly-tip was discovered at the end of Coldharbour Farm Lane in Wick, South Gloucestershire, at the point where the lane becomes a bridleway. This is a scenic rural area enjoyed by ramblers and horse riders. The bridleway was completely blocked by the fly-tip, which consisted of a sofa, soft furnishings, plastics and numerous black bags of household waste.
Correspondence featuring Ronald Shaw’s name was found amongst the waste and South Gloucestershire Council’s environmental enforcement officers contacted him. Shaw claimed that he had paid cold callers £80 cash to take a sofa and a few bags of household waste away from his home address in Frenchay on 3 April. Shaw was afforded an opportunity to confirm who had collected his waste as he believed that a van he had seen advertised for sale on Facebook was used by the offenders. He failed to provide any details to this effect, so was invited to attend a formal voluntary interview under caution at council’s offices in Yate.
Shaw was interviewed on 25 June, where he admitted to failing in his householder duty of care by not checking that he was handing his waste over to a licensed waste carrier and not taking steps to obtain a receipt, nor record any details of the waste carrier and their vehicle. He was advised that he was being reported for summons for the offence.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We all have a responsibility to dispose of our waste in a responsible manner and that includes when dealing with third party waste collectors. 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.
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
