A Bristol woman has been ordered to pay a total of £1,543 in fines and costs after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted her for waste offences following the discovery of fly-tipped waste on a Kingswood high street.
Omolara Lasisi, 41, of Church Road, St George in Bristol, appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday 14 October. She pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and failing in her duty of care and was handed a £346 fine, ordered to pay £959 in costs and a £138 victim surcharge, making a total of £1,543.
The court heard that between Monday 6 and Thursday 16 May 2024 a total of eight black bags were left next to the large black litter bin outside a pizza takeaway on Regent Street, Kingswood and opposite the ‘Hair by Lara’ salon. The black bags were deposited over five separate occasions and contained packaging, leaflets relating to hair products as well as organic matter consisting of hair and wigs. On numerous occasions the bags had been pulled open and the contents were found scattered along the street.
Enquiries were made on 21 May 2024 and after a visit to the location CCTV was identified at the front of the pizza takeaway. CCTV footage was obtained which showed that on all five occasions the waste in the black bags was brought out via the front door of ‘Hair by Lara’ salon and carried over the road and deposited next to the large black litter bin outside the takeaway.
On Tuesday 4 June 2024 the owner of Hair by Lara, Omolara Lasisi, attended the council’s Yate offices for an interview. She was shown CCTV covering each occasion where waste was deposited and confirmed that all the waste came from the Hair by Lara business. The interview was concluded, and Lasisi was reported for summons.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “This prosecution will hopefully act as a deterrent to anyone who fails in their duty of care for waste disposal.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure that our waste is disposed of in a responsible and lawful manner. This case saw business waste repeatedly dumped on one of our high streets, without any thought for those impacted by the waste or who would ultimately clear the rubbish.
“South Gloucestershire Council always pursues 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.”
Residents and businesses are advised to only give their rubbish to an Environment Agency registered waste carrier.
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
