Fly-tipper pays the penalty

A 27-year-old-man who admitted four counts of fly-tipping must complete 180 hours of unpaid work in the communities where he committed the offences.

Jordan Robertson was handed the Community Order after Lincoln Magistrates on Friday heard he was responsible for three offences in South Kesteven and one in North Kesteven. The prosecution was brought by South Kesteven District Council.

Robertson, of Hillside, Ancaster, was also ordered to pay compensation of £135 to the Grantham-based Woodland Trust and £355 for the landowner of the Westgate Club, Grantham, towards the cost of clearing the fly-tipping and disposing of the waste legally.

The court heard Robertson does not hold a waste carrier’s licence and was paid by individuals to remove waste from their properties.

He was initially named in an interview carried out by SKDC’s Neighbourhoods Team with a member of public whose details were found in a fly-tip reported in April 2021 in the Woodland Trust’s car park on Five Gates Lane, Grantham.

The team was told Robertson had been paid to remove waste from the householder’s property and they believed it would be dealt with legally.

Another fly-tip was seen by Neighbourhoods Officers at the rear of The Westgate Club, Grantham. Evidence was found carrying names and addresses. When interviewed they said that they had paid Robertson to remove waste from their properties. Some had seen him advertise on Facebook and contacted him through the social media platform.

Another fly-tip close to Great Ponton was reported to SKDC earlier in 2021. Robertson’s vehicle had been photographed at the scene by a passing member of  the public, and a man matching Robertson’s description was seen to be dumping waste on the grass verge.

North Kesteven District Council contacted SKDC Neighbourhoods Team last year in connection with a fly-tip it was investigating. Robertson’s vehicle was identified on CCTV footage from within the Greylees estate, near Sleaford.

Cllr Mark Whittington, SKDC’s Cabinet Member for Waste and Climate Change, said: “This was fly-tipping on a grand scale over a considerable period of time.

“All parties interviewed were shocked and appalled that they had paid for their waste to be removed from their properties, only to find it had been dumped in a local beauty spot or at the rear of a town centre building.

“Householders have a duty of care to check that anyone they use to remove rubbish from their home is a licensed waste carrier.

“There are unscrupulous operators looking to take catch people off their guard, and social media is often used to advertise rubbish collection for cash.

“Unless residents have seen a waste carrier’s licence issued by the Environment Agency and are satisfied with how their waste will be disposed of, they should not use these services.”

Householders can check their waste carrier is legal and registered by going to http://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers