Latest news with #environmentalenforcement
BBC News
31-07-2025
- BBC News
Waste-handler in court over Bradford cemetery fly-tipping
"Major errors" by a licensed waste-handler led to a huge pile of rubbish being dumped in a Bradford cemetery, a court has Khan, 38, appeared at Bradford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, where he admitted responsibility for fly-tipping at Scholemoor Cemetery last of Hartman Place, also admitted to another act of fly-tipping on Munby Street some six weeks is due to be sentenced on 21 August at Bradford Crown Court. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Khan denied being the person who dumped the waste, claiming he had lent his vehicle to a colleague who fly-tipped the rubbish without his Raja, prosecuting on behalf of Bradford Council, told the court Environmental Enforcement officers had been called to a report of fly-tipping on 6 showed a Ford transit dumping a "substantial amount" of waste, including general litter, building materials and garden waste, on Munby Street, off Thornton Road, at 06:28 Raja said waste had subsequently been dumped at Scholemoor Cemetery on 16 September, with the same vehicle was found to have been enforcement team searched through the waste and found the address of a woman, who they went on to Raja said: "She informed officers that she had paid Imran Khan to dispose of the waste."She said Khan had shown her documentation to prove he was a licensed waste-carrier."It just so happens the vehicle was later involved in an unrelated road traffic stop, on 4 November," Mr Raja explained."Police carried out checks, and the keeper was found to be Khan." 'Disrespectful act' The defendant argued that, although he had received payment to remove the waste and the vehicle was his, he did not dump the rubbish."We can't disprove that, but the council argues that he failed to take measures to ensure the correct transfer of waste," said Mr added: "Allowing someone else to deposit the waste in the cemetery is, in my submission, just as bad as if he did it himself."The prosecutor said Khan had "flagrantly disregarded the law", calling the dumping of waste in a cemetery a "disrespectful act".Mr Arshad, defending Khan, said he had been operating as a legitimate waste-carrier, with the relevant licence in place."The reality is there were major errors by him relating to how he conducted aspects of his business," he said."Through his guilty pleas, he acknowledges his wrongdoing."He has expressed great remorse for what he has allowed to happen through his own actions and inactions." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Daily Mail
28-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment fly-tipping couple are caught dumping piles of rubbish on country road - as pair are fined £3k
This is the moment a fly-tipping couple dumped piles of rubbish on a country road - before claiming they didn't know it was illegal. CCTV cameras installed along a rural lane near Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire captured the pair dumping cardboard, plastic and spoiled food on two separate occasions. The dim-witted duo arrived in a white van and unloaded the rubbish, which was traced back to a commercial business. Their van's registration number was in plain view of the camera - making them easy to identify. They were quickly traced by Wiltshire Council's environmental enforcement officers, who asked them to explain their actions. But the couple, from Swindon, claimed to be unaware that it was illegal to dump their waste in this way. It didn't pass muster with Wiltshire's enforcers, who issued them with fixed penalty notices worth £3,000 amid an ongoing war on fly-tipping in rural hotspots. The fines have since been paid in full. The couple's identities have not been disclosed. Wiltshire Council says it has also recently fined a man £1,000 after removing bags from his car and leaving them behind. He claimed he forgot them by accident after taking a cigarette break. Another said he had dumped rubbish because he couldn't book a slot at the local recycling centre. But Cllr Martin Smith, the council's cabinet member for highways, street scene and flooding, said there was no excuse. 'Fly-tipping is not only unsightly, it is also illegal and we are committed to tackling those who choose to dump their waste in this way,' he said. 'Anyone caught fly-tipping can be ordered to pay a £1,000 fixed penalty notice or be taken to court, where they could face an unlimited fine or imprisonment. 'As part of our We're Targeting Fly-tippers campaign in Wiltshire, we not only fine or prosecute offenders but also to educate people in the correct way to dispose of their waste. 'In this case, the business owners should dispose of their waste through registered waste carriers.' It comes after another fly-tipper who dumped a bed at the side of a road was fined thousands of pounds after being caught red-handed. Litterbug Naiffisa Abba was snapped leaving the bedroom fixture and other trash at a notorious fly-tipping spot in Queensbury Park, north-west London. In the images, released by Brent Council, Abba can be seen struggling to haul the single divan base across the road before lobbing it next to bags of rubbish. The litter lout's actions, captured on camera in March 2024, have now seen him hit with a £4,600 fine. Abbas, of Wembley, was convicted at Willesden Magistrates' Court, where a judge slapped him with a further £2,000 to the initial penalty because he failed to attend his hearing. The prosecution is part of a major clampdown by Brent Council on fly-tippers, who have been blighting the streets in recent years. London continues to be gripped with a fly-tipping epidemic - while England faces its biggest illegal dumping crisis in 20 years. Bosses at Brent say they 'won't accept' fly-tippers, with council chiefs insisting they have 'ramped up' efforts to bring 'selfish' crooks to justice. Its campaign, dubbed 'Don't Mess With Brent', has seen a number of secret cameras installed at known hotspots, which are being used to catch litterbugs. So far, the effort has led to the council issuing 30 per cent more fines as a result. As well as installing covert surveillance, more enforcement officers have been deployed to patrol the streets. Offenders are hit with £1,000 fines if officers uncover evidence of them being behind the fly-tipping, with the council warning crooks: 'We will catch you.' The crackdown was launched in 2024, with Brent declaring it would wage war on 'selfish litter louts' who had blighted the borough - which saw 35,000 reported cases between 2022-2023. The local authority added the crime costs it in the region of £1.5million to deal with each year.
BBC News
01-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Liverpool dog fouling fines could rise to £100
Fines for anyone caught failing to clean up after their dog in Liverpool could rise to £100 as part of a fresh crackdown on littering in pet owners currently face fixed penalty notices of £ City Council has said it costs more than £12m a year to clean up littering and fly-tipping and the increased penalty is part of a raft of new proposals to offset the authority is looking at deploying an external company to enforce fines for such offences under a three-year contract. The council's cabinet is looking to secure a deal with an as yet unnamed company, with a tiered approach towards fly-tipping offences. Should senior councillors agree at a meeting on 3 June, the charge for dropping litter will increase to £150, up from £80, with an early payment option of £100 if paid within 14 additional £1.5m was approved during March's budget council meeting to increase environmental enforcement. Cabinet documents outlined how the £80 fine level had not changed for years and fixed penalty levels had remained static."The evidence suggests, particularly for the offence of fly-tipping, which is increasing year on year, the level does not act as an effective deterrent to committing the offence," the report and fly-posting are also facing sterner punishments, doubling to £200 under the of public space protection orders will also be subject to harsher penalties as part of the proposals, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
