A man from Kingswood has been ordered to pay a total of £530 in fines and costs after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for a waste duty of care offence when he was caught on CCTV with waste flying off the back of his vehicle whilst travelling along the A4174 Ring Road.
Jacob Manfield (trading as Manny’s Metals), 30, of Downend Road in Kingswood appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on 13 August after he was arrested and brought to court following his failure to attend a previous hearing. He pleaded guilty to failing in his duty of care to take reasonable measures to prevent the escape of waste from his lorry, failing to attend an interview with the council and failure to provide required documentation. He was fined £250 and ordered to pay £200 in costs and an £80 victim surcharge, totalling £530, all to be paid within 14 days.
Waste on and around the A4174 Ring Road is not only an eyesore but costs the council thousands of pounds each year to clear. The work requires closing lanes of the dual carriageway leading to significant disruption to residents and other road users. In addition, waste flying off vehicles on to the carriageway is a danger to any road user. Joint operations between the council and Police regularly take place where drivers of vehicles carrying waste have been pulled over, shown film footage highlighting the problem and their vehicles and waste securing equipment inspected. A CCTV camera was installed on the A4174 Ring Road to monitor the problem.
On Thursday 30 November 2023 this camera captured footage of a significant amount of waste – including a sizeable piece of metal in cardboard packaging – flying off the back of a flatbed vehicle that was owned and run by Jacob Manfield of Manny’s Metals.
CCTV footage of the waste falling from the vehicle is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt0etifikII
Council officers spoke with Manfield by telephone where he was informed of the CCTV footage showing waste flying off the rear of one of his vehicles. He admitted the vehicle was his and stated that the vehicle would have had nets to secure the waste, but the driver must not have used them. He claimed that he had already sacked the driver.
Manfield was served Notices to attend the council’s offices for a formal interview and to provide documentation and details regarding the driver and the vehicle. However, no further communication was received from Manfield and he did not attend the council offices for interview.
Following summons, Manfield failed to appear at the initial court hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “This is the first prosecution that we’ve secured using evidence captured by the Ring Road CCTV camera and we’re really pleased to see this positive result.
“Anyone carrying loads on the highway has duty of care responsibilities and this is particularly important for waste carriers who need to ensure their load is properly secured and netted so that nothing can escape. Any waste escaping from the rear of a waste carrying vehicle is a failure in their duty of care.
“On top of being a serious danger to other road users, there is a considerable clear up cost for waste on our roads and verges, which also cause disruption to people travelling around the area.”
Anyone with dashcam, CCTV or mobile phone footage of a littering from vehicles offence can report it to the council via www.southglos.gov.uk/reportit
Residents who see illegal fly-tipping are encouraged to report it by contacting the Street Care helpdesk on 01454 868000, emailing streetcare@southglos.gov.uk or visiting www.southglos.gov.uk/flytipping
