Three fly-tippers brought to justice by Lancaster City Council

All three were taken to court by Lancaster City Council as part of its Operation Peregrine initiative, which aims to crack down on fly-tipping and make those responsible pay for their actions.

Katie Ball, of Leighton Court in Morecambe, was fined £660, with costs of £60 and a £60 victim surcharge. The court heard that council enforcement officers were called to a patch of land behind Warren Road in Heysham, which had been used to fly-tip household rubbish. Ball, as the former occupant of the adjoining property, was asked to account for the rubbish but refused to cooperate.

David Shute, of Myrtle Grove in Heysham, pleaded guilty to an offence under duty of care legislation, which requires householders to use a licensed waste carrier if they arrange for rubbish to be removed from their property.

The court heard that Shute had organised for a male, known only as ‘Matty’, to remove rubbish from his garden. The waste was later dumped in the car park at Heysham Nature Reserve.

When questioned he could not provide the full name or any contact details of the person he had used and could not demonstrate that he had taken reasonable care to ensure that the waste was only transferred to a person authorised to carry waste. He pleaded guilty and was fined £275, with costs of £200 and a £30 victim surcharge.

Ashley Grundy, of Norfolk Street in Lancaster, was fined £660, with costs of £60 and a £60 victim surcharge, after being found guilty of failing to comply with a request for information (made under s108 Environment Act 1995) about waste dumped in the back alley behind his home.

Grundy was asked to account for the rubbish, containing materials linked to his address, but refused to cooperate with investigators, leading to them taking action through the courts.

Grundy and Ball both failed to turn up at court and were found guilty in their absence.

Coun Brendan Hughes, Cabinet member with responsibility for Environmental Services, said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities and the city council is doing all it can to stamp it out.

“We will robustly investigate and prosecute offenders to ensure the district is kept clean and tidy for the majority of residents who behave responsibly when it comes to rubbish disposal.”

*Flytipping offenders can be reported by calling 01524 582491, emailing [email protected] or use the online reporting form at www.lancaster.gov.uk/fly-tipping.