Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Wiltshire man fined more than £2,000 in fly-tipping prosecution.
Alan Hughes of Mount Pleasant, Atworth was fined a total of £2,065 at Chippenham Magistrates Court on June 26 after admitting to illegally dumping waste on a road between Holt and Great Chalfield.

The incident was reported by the local police to Wiltshire Council’s environmental enforcement officers in November 2008. A council officer went to the location where they found a pile of rubbish. Wiltshire Council were able to trace the waste to Mr Hughes with the help of the police who visited the man’s property and found fence panels which matched those which had been found among the fly-tipped waste.

The investigation was a joint exercise between council and police staff, culminating in the conviction, which is the first fly-tipping prosecution for the new Wiltshire Council.

Please remember that if you are employing someone to remove rubbish ALWAYS insist on seeing their waste carriers licence and to obtain a receipt detailing their licence number, company address and the type and volume of waste they have removed. Failure to do so could result in you receiving a fixed penalty notice or even a fine of up to £5,000 as you are legally responsible for how your contrator disposes of your rubbish! Ignorance of the fact that they might have fly-tipped it is no excuse in law.