Man fined for illegal dumping after council investigation
Illegally dumped waste at Kilverstone that led to a Thetford man being fined. Picture: Breckland Council - Credit: Breckland Council
A man has been fined for illegally dumping house clearance waste on a country lane that he had been paid to take to the recyling centre.
Illegally dumped waste at Kilverstone that led to a Thetford man being fined. Picture: Breckland Council - Credit: Breckland Council
It comes as the result of a successful investigation by Breckland Council, which was prompted by a member of the public reporting the flytipping in Kilverstone.
A council enforcement officer investigated the site and was able to link the waste to the offender, a man from Thetford, who had been hired by another local resident to clear household furniture and take it to the local recycling centre, but instead dumped it on a nearby open patch of land.
After the man was interviewed under police caution, he was issued him with a fixed penalty notice of £400 for flytipping, plus a further £300 for not having an appropriate waste carrier's license and £45 administration charge.
Local authorities were given greater powers to tackle illegal dumping in 2016 including being able to issue penalty notices of between £150 and £400 to those caught in the act of fly-tipping anything from old fridges or sofas to garden waste or rubble.
Councillor Alison Webb, executive member for housing, health and environment at Breckland Council, said: "Flytipping is illegal and a serious environmental crime that harms the countryside and costs taxpayers money to clear up.
"The council has a zero tolerance approach towards flytipping and we will not hesitate to take action to make sure people pay for their crimes and hopefully deter people who may consider doing this in the future.
Councillor Alison Webb of Breckland Council. Picture: Keith Mindham - Credit: Photo: Keith Mindham Photography
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"Anybody who sees a flytip should inform the council as quickly as possible, as this gives us a greater chance of catching the culprits.
"If you're hiring somebody to take waste away for you, make sure they are legitimate and have a waste carrier's license to avoid choosing a rogue trader who may not dispose of your material responsibly and leave you equally responsible for the flytip."
Householders are being encouraged to be particularly wary of businesses that only operate through social media or those who come to their door offering to take away rubbish cheaply.
Residents can report suspected fly tipping at breckland.gov.uk/flytip
