Two Fenland residents have been fined over £700 after their rubbish was fly-tipped by people they paid to take it away.
The two Wisbech householders admitted they failed in their duty of care to make sure their waste was disposed of legally and by an authorised waste carrier licensed by the Environment Agency.
One of the loads of rubbish of several black bags of household waste and nappies was dumped in Friday Bridge and items including a clothes airer, baskets, a kitchen waste bin, children’s toys and bikes were dumped in Wisbech in the other incident.
In December, a man from Wisbech, for his failure in his Duty of Care, and a woman from Parson Drove were fined a total of £657 and £102 respectively at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court.
Fenland District Council linked the waste to the householders through evidence found among the rubbish.
Cllr Peter Murphy, Fenland District Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “Unfortunately, fly-tippers often target households via social media or local advertising, luring customers in with cheap rates to dispose of unwanted furniture, building rubble or garden waste.
“But householders must remember they can be penalised if they employ someone to dispose of their waste which is then fly-tipped, so they should always use a licensed waste carrier.”
You can visit the Environment Agency website or contact them on 03708 506506 and ask for a free instant Waste Carrier Validation Check to see if a waste carrier is licensed.
You can issue an up to £400 Fixed Penalty Notices for using unlicensed waste carriers to dispose of rubbish if you’ve failed to take “reasonable steps” to check if the person is authorised to do so.
Failure to pay can result in court action where fines can be much larger.
If you spot someone fly-tipping or find fly-tipped waste in Fenland, you can report it to the council via: www.fenland.gov.uk/flytipping, or: 01354 654321.
Household waste can be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre for free. Fenland District Council also runs a Bulky Waste service where household items that are too big for your wheeled bin can be collected from your home for a fixed fee. Visit: www.fenland.gov.uk/bulkywaste
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here