Merton Council took two fly-tippers to court and won last week with the culprits ending up with a criminal record and having to pay out hundreds of pounds in fines and court fees.
Two cases were heard at Lavender Hill Magistrates Court 0n 3 November 2015. Jason Gervais (50) of Thornton Heath was prosecuted for dumping a builder’s bag of bricks in the Lowry Crescent car park, Mitcham and Piotr Bedkowski was convicted of fly-tipping black sacks, some of which contained old wooden panels with protruding nails, in Epsom Road, Morden.
Gervais was ordered to pay a £300 fine, £150 in council costs, a criminal court charge of £150 and a £30 victim surcharge, totaling £630.
Bedkowski was ordered to pay a £300 fine, £300 in council costs plus the £150 criminal court charge and £30 victim surcharge, amounting to £780.
This action is part of the council’s clean-streets campaign. Every year, the council spends £5 million keeping the borough’s streets clean, tackling litter and fly-tipping. The council uses several methods to pursue fly-tippers, including CCTV cameras and enforcement officers.
Merton Council’s cabinet member for environmental cleanliness and parking, Councillor Judy Saunders said: “We are a zero tolerance borough when it comes to fly-tippers and people who drop litter on our streets. Both of these cases demonstrate that anyone thinking of dumping rubbish or dropping litter on Merton’s streets should beware.
“We will do our utmost to come down on them so they face a court conviction and substantial fines. Our enforcement teams are on the lookout for offenders and won’t let them get away with fly-tipping. It is also important that residents know their responsibility to ensure anyone calling at their home offering to take away building waste and other rubbish for a fee has the correct licence, otherwise, they might find themselves in court.”
If people witness fly-tipping, they should note down as many details of what they see as possible and let the council know by visiting merton.gov.uk/street-cleaning
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