Working with Ealing Council, Merton has seen Ealing resident Leslie Price (43), sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court for five fly tipping offences including one in Merton.
Price was ordered to serve six months of the prison sentence as he had had no previous convictions since 1993. He was also given a five-year anti social behaviour order (ASBO), prohibiting him from involved in any commercial transactions concerning the disposal of building waste without an appropriate licence. In addition to serving six months in prison, Price must also complete 200 hours community service within the next two years. Merton Council also destroyed a vehicle he used for the fly tipping offence.
The crimes committed by Price included transporting building waste from an address in Battersea for profit and dumping it in Mortimer Road, Mitcham on the 30 June last year. He repeatedly committed fly tipping offences in other boroughs between June and November 2009.
Merton Council’s website gives extensive information about the consequences of fly tipping and what residents should do if they spot someone committing the offence. Anyone wishing to report a fly tip should go to: http://www.merton.gov.uk/flytipping
Merton Council cabinet member for environmental sustainability and regeneration Councillor Andrew Judge said: “We say ‘don’t even think about it’ to anyone believing they can make easy money by duping residents into parting with their money only to dump the waste around the corner. We won’t tolerate fly tipping in Merton and this case should be a warning as to the severity of the punishment.
“Every year we spend £250,000 on clearing illegally dumped waste from our streets – money would rather invest in services for our residents.
“It is important that residents are aware that they also have a responsibility to ensure the person offering to take away their rubbish for a fee has the correct licence. Otherwise, they could also be found liable for the offence.”
-ENDS-
Bronwen Pickering
Communications Officer
Merton Council
020 8545 3483
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