2018
Sentence for fly tipper who posed as council worker on Facebook
Date Posted: 1:38 PM on Fri, 4 May 2018
A fly tipper who claimed to work for the council and used Facebook to arrange for the removal of waste from residential properties has been sentenced by the courts in a cross border operation between Gedling Borough Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council.
Mr Lee Foster of Highfield Drive, Carlton, Nottingham was prosecuted by Gedling Borough Council in a joint operation between the two councils with support from the Nottinghamshire Police, to save resources, court time, costs and to avoid duplicity.
Foster was tracked down after officers found multiple documents which contained information and addresses. These led officers to the residents who had hired him to safely dispose of their waste and provided witness statements which helped to prove the offences.
The initial investigation by Gedling Borough Council found that Foster had replied to a Facebook advertisement in January 2017 for a “man with a van” to dispose of household rubbish. In his response to the advert, Foster stated he worked for a council and would dispose of the waste correctly for a charge of £60. In this instance Foster fly tipped the waste including household items, a metal bed frame, breakfast bar stool and others in a fly tipping hotspot in Gedling.
Foster’s fly tipping continued and a further two investigations by Rushcliffe Borough Council discovered that Foster replied to another Facebook advertisement in April 2017 which led to fly tipping of more waste including an estate agents board, a bath and panelling, bathroom flooring, a toilet seat, a child’s chair, toys and household furniture. In this case Foster charged £120 to dispose of the waste and fly tipped the waste in East Bridgford.
The third offence occurred in Radcliffe on Trent in May 2017 where CCTV equipment had been in place to catch fly tipping incidents and identified a partial vehicle registration number on a van that had been used to fly tip two sofas and a mattress. This partial plate and unique markings on the van seen in the CCTV footage, and with assistance from Nottinghamshire Police, led officers to track down the van which was owned by Foster.
At Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, Foster admitted the offences and was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 80 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay compensation and costs and a victim surcharge.
Councillor David Ellis, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection said;
“We’re very pleased with the Courts’ decision and that perpetrator has been given an appropriate sentence. This prosecution is a great example of councils working together to tackle the issue of fly tipping. The extensive investigative work carried out by both councils shows the commitment to bring culprits to justice and this case sends a very clear message to people that we are working hard to rid our boroughs of fly tipping.”
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Deputy Leader Cllr Debbie Mason said;
“We will wherever possible prosecute those found to be blighting our communities in Rushcliffe by not disposing of their waste responsibly and will always robustly follow up those breaking the law.”
“We were pleased to work in partnership to bring about justice and the best outcome for the residents of both boroughs.”
Residents can help to ensure fly tipping does not occur by ensuring they only use Environment Agency registered waste carriers and keep a receipt for waste that is taken.