Magistrates order Thanet residents to pay over £6,000 in two fly-tipping cases

Two people from Thanet were found guilty of fly-tipping in cases heard at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Monday 14 October.

A Margate resident was found guilty of fly-tipping in a case which resulted in a hefty fine and costs amounting to just under £5,000.

The District Judge heard evidence and statements in the absence of the defendant and found them “Guilty” on the count of depositing waste. Based on Band F of the environmental sentencing guidelines, the defendant was fined £2,640. They were also ordered to pay £2,074.38 costs for legal, enforcement and waste clearance. A further £170 was ordered to be paid for victim surcharge. This totalled £4,884.38 and the judge ordered that it be paid within 28 days.

CCTV captured footage of the defendant depositing waste, by emptying contents from a trailer onto the highway at Buenos Ayres, Margate on Monday 11 February 2019, before removing the trailer. 

The second defendant who lives in Ramsgate was found “Guilty” of two offences and was fined £400 for fly-tipping, £200 for carrying waste without a valid licence and ordered to pay £651.65 in costs for enforcement and waste clearance. The total to pay is £1,251.65.

The defendant deposited waste by farmland on Marsh Farm Road, Minster. They had been paid to remove mixed waste from a residential property in Westgate-on-Sea.

Upon investigation, Thanet District Council’s enforcement officers frequently find that many of the fly-tips reported in Thanet have been dumped by local people, sometimes in the vicinity of their own homes. Further prosecutions have been secured in cases where someone has been paid to take waste away but instead of disposing of it properly they’ve fly-tipped it in the local area.

The council is obliged to invest a considerable amount of time and budget in cleaning up fly-tipped waste in the District.

Cllr Steve Albon, Cabinet Member for Operational Services at Thanet District Council said: “People must be cautious when someone offers to take their waste away and check that they’re licensed to do so. The council offers a bulky waste collection service, charged at a nominal rate, for people who have larger items they wish to dispose of. There is also a recycling centre run by Kent County Council at Manston Road which is open daily. We urge residents to make use of these services. Illegally dumping waste can have serious consequences for individuals. It also has the potential to hugely impact the environment, cause harm to wildlife and negatively affect health. We all need to work together to keep Thanet clean.”

Rogue traders are currently advertising on social media as rubbish and bulky waste collectors and then fly tipping it across Kent. Residents have a duty of care to ensure they only give their waste to registered waste carriers. Many people are unaware that they could face a penalty of up to £400 if an unlicensed carrier fly-tips their waste.

Anyone who witnesses instances of fly-tipping is encouraged to report it online or directly to sse@thanet.gov.uk 

The enforcement team fully investigates sites where fly-tipping has taken place and whenever possible, those who have dumped waste illegally are prosecuted. 

Anyone who wishes to use the council’s bulky waste collection can telephone 01843 577 115.