Back in June 2014, I was returning home after a meeting in Slip End when I witnessed a white van to the side of the road at a notorious fly-tipping spot in Woodside. The driver and his companion made a swift getaway when they saw me approaching but I was able to capture the vehicle registration number and witness that the pile of rubbish on the roadside had come out of the van. I wrote out a brief statement as soon as I got home, which was copied to the Police and Central Beds Enviromental Team.
The van traced back to a gentleman at an address in Luton who, unsurprisingly, denied any responsibility. The legal process dragged on but the offender was back in court yesterday and entered a guilty plea under certain sections of the Enviromental Protection Act 1990. Whilst it can not be proved that he was driving the van, he has accepted that he was in a position to control the use of the vehicle at the time of the offence.
He was sentenced to a fine of £1,000 plus victim surcharge of £100 and Central Bedfordshire Council's costs of £1,800. Therefore he has incurred a total liability of £2,900 for allowing waste to be dumped in the countryside.
A copy of Central Bedfordshire Council's press release is available here and the press release about another recent successful prosecution is available here.
