Cumberland Council has recently pursued environmental crime offenders who paid fines totalling over £2700.
At recent West Cumbria Magistrates’ Court hearings Cumberland Council had the following successful prosecutions:
- A man from Workington discarded a sofa into the street and left it, despite the council attempting to resolve the issue he failed to respond. He pleaded guilty to the offence of fly tipping and received: £230 fine, victim surcharge of £92 and £150 costs, totalling £472.
- The owner of a takeaway in Maryport appeared at court in January.
The fly tipping took place on private land and contained rotting food, packaging, waste oil and receipts. This waste was hazardous and posed a significant risk to the environment. The man pleaded guilty and stated he had paid a man with a van to dispose of the waste, he received: £2000 fine, victim surcharge of £800, costs of £150 and to pay the landowner compensation of £1182.60, totlling £4132.
- A woman from Workington entered a guilty plea of fly tipping. The court sentenced her to a fine of £480, victim surcharge of £192 and granted a costs order in the sum of £150, totalling £822.
Darren Crossley, Director of Place, Sustainable Growth and Transport, said:
“I want to thank the residents who use the recycling facilities properly, by doing so these locations remain clean, tidy, and presentable for others to use, which does encourage the correct use of the facilities. We do appreciate the efforts of people doing this.
“However, I want to emphasise that Cumberland Council take environmental crimes seriously. All environmental crimes will be investigated which may mean that individuals are prosecuted. We encourage people who have been sent a letter or requested to attend an interview to engage with us.
“We would like to remind residents that they should pass on their waste on to an authorised person/company, details can be checked easily by visiting the Environment Agency website to check the public register. As they are responsible for their waste if it is found fly-tipped, they have a duty of care to dispose of it correctly.
“Fly-tipping and environmental crimes are not only irresponsible and un-neighbourly, and it can have detrimental effects to our region, including, encouraging vermin, poisoning natural habitat, and can also be hazardous too.
“I would like to encourage us all to help keep our area as beautiful as it should be, continue to recycle properly, and if you see any fly-tipping in your area, please let us know.”