Pair prosecuted for fly tipping offences
Two Darlington householders have been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £916 for fly tipping offences in one of the town's back lanes.
Lee Thomas and Chloe Hogan, both of Otterburn Close, were both found guilty of breaching Section 110(2) and (5) of the Environment Act 1995 after their cases were heard in their absence at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 24 October.
They were each fined £220 and ordered to pay £150 costs and a victim surcharge of £88.
The court heard that on 19 May this year several black bags were found dumped in a back lane between Hercules Street and Ajax Street. Civic enforcement officers from Darlington Borough Council attended and found some distinctive foam and wood sticking out of one of the bags.
The waste had been photographed on the drive of a nearby property in Otterburn Close weeks before by a concerned member of the public.
The officers asked the residents at the property, Hogan and Thomas, to attend an interview under caution. However, after repeatedly asking for it to be rearranged they were issued with a notice requiring them to attend council offices. They both failed to appear, and their cases were referred to court.
Councillor Amanda Riley, the council’s cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “Dumping rubbish in our back lanes will not be tolerated and these prosecutions are another reminder that we will take action against those who flout the law.
“Our staff work hard to keep our streets and back lanes clean and fly tipping of any kind will not be tolerated.”
She added: “We would also remind householders that if you pay or ask someone, other than the council, to take your waste away, you should always check they have a waste carrier licence and ask for a waste transfer note. If your waste is fly tipped, you could be fined along with the individual or company you used to remove it.”
The Environment Agency issues waste carrier licences. You can check if a company has a licence using the online register at https://bit.ly/CheckENV
Information on the correct means of disposing of all types of waste can be found on the council’s website www.darlington.gov.uk.
Most household items can be disposed of for free at the tip – for more details visit www.darlington.gov.uk/tip. If you can’t get to the tip you can book a Bulky Waste Collection – for more details visit www.darlington.gov.uk/bulkywaste.
You can report a fly-tip, or anyone you see fly-tipping, online at www.darlington.gov.uk/reportit.