Prison sentence for fly-tipper
A man from Swadlincote has been found guilty of two incidents of fly-tipping which took place on a quiet country lane in South Derbyshire.
Thomas Crump of 20 Escolme Close, Swadlincote received a 12-week custodial sentence for the offences, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to undertake 180 hours of unpaid work, pay the Council’s costs in full of £3,699.25 within 28 days and a victim surcharge of £128.00, totalling £3,827.25.
In early February 2021 a report was made to the Council of an accumulation of waste which had been dumped along a lane used as a bridleway and access route to farmers land north of Hilton.
When investigating officers visited the site, they found two large quantities of household waste including medical supplies, building waste, carpets, clothes and bedding. One of the piles of waste had been partially burned.
Officers traced the waste back to a property in Stretton. When the occupier of the property was interviewed, it was established that she had recently moved in and that a friend of a friend had agreed to remove the waste for £400.
Crump was identified as the person responsible and was invited to be interviewed under caution by Council officers. Crump attended the interview but refused to make any comment.
During the trial Crump pleaded not guilty. He admitted taking the waste from the house but claimed that he had disposed of it all at a registered waste management site.
In sentencing, District Judge Taff told Crump that he had shown little or no co-operation with the Council and that these types of offences caused considerable distress to farmers and landowners.
Councillor Stephen Taylor, Chair of the Council’s Environment and Development Service Committee said: “At the time of these incidents, fly-tipping in South Derbyshire was at a record high. We don’t think that it’s a coincidence that incidents of fly-tipping dropped dramatically as soon as Crump realised he was under criminal investigation by the Council.
“The lady who used Crump paid him £400 to dispose of the waste and thought she was getting a good deal. I can only repeat previous appeals that this Council has made asking people to check who they give their waste to. We all have got a legal duty of care to make sure waste is disposed of legally. If a deal to get rid of waste seems too good to be true, then it’s a lie.
“In this case the lady who disposed of the waste was given a fixed penalty notice of £400 for failing to meet her duty of care. It is to her credit that she was then willing to work with our investigating officers to bring Crump to justice.”
Between April 2020 to April 2021, fly-tipping incidents in South Derbyshire reached their highest ever number of incidents. However, since the start of 2022 fly-tipping incidents have now been brought down to nearly the lowest number on record.
To check if a vehicle or business is registered to carry waste go to Waste carriers, brokers and dealers (data.gov.uk).
6 September 2022