Fly tipping and pollution
Guilty plea from Walsall fly-tipper
Published on
On 16 July 2021 Michael Evans was captured on camera illegally disposing of foliage in Rayboulds Bridge Road, Walsall. His case was heard in Dudley Magistrates Court on 22 February 2023 by Judge Wheeler.
Enquiries with the registered keeper revealed the driver to be Michael Evans of Napier Road, Walsall. On 19 August 2021 Mr Evans attended Walsall Council House to be interviewed in which he admitted the offence of fly tipping. He was subsequently issued a Fixed Penalty for £400 which he failed to pay.
The case was heard in Dudley Magistrates Court on 22 February 2023 by Judge Wheeler. Mr Evans attended court and entered a guilty plea. He stated that he had not paid the Fixed Penalty because he could not pay the amount in full and could only pay by instalments but that facility was unavailable. The judge awarded the council’s costs in the sum of £432.80 and also imposed a surcharge of £23.00. Judge Wheeler took into account Mr Evans’ mitigation of financial hardship and decided that, as the costs exceeded the original fixed penalty, he would not impose a fine upon Mr Evans but make him subject to a Conditional Discharge for six months.
Two other fly-tipping cases were due to be heard but the defendants failed to attend court and warrants have been issued.
“ My thanks, as ever, go to our community protection and legal services team for their sterling work. The message should be loud and clear by now; we do not tolerate this behaviour in Walsall.
What I think many of us will struggle to understand is why Mr Evans committed a criminal act when he lives closer to a household waste recycling facility, where he could have legally disposed of his waste free of charge, than he does to the place he chose to fly-tip it. “
~ENDS~
Note to Editor
- Fly-tipping can be reported on the Walsall Council website.
- The fly-tipping of controlled waste is a serious criminal offence which carries a fine of up to £20,000 (unlimited if indicted to the Crown Court) or an offender can even be sent to prison.
- Cleaning up and legally disposing of fly-tipped waste in the borough of Walsall costs around £500,000 per year — money from the public purse which could instead be spent on other valued services.
- There are two Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in the borough of Walsall which are free to use by residents.
- The council offers an extremely competitive bulky items collection service for residents who may struggle to take larger items to one of the HWRCs. You can book a bulky waste collection online.
- Residents who are struggling to manage their household waste, for example because of a growing family or an ongoing medical condition can apply for a larger bin online.
