Teignbridge takes action against waste offender
Teignbridge District Council has successfully prosecuted a man after potentially hazardous computer waste was found dumped in a country lane.
South Devon Magistrates, sitting in Torquay, fined Christopher Chalk, 21, from Torquay a total of £1,166 for not having the proper licence to get rid of waste.
People or businesses that transport, buy, sell or dispose of waste, or arrange for someone else to do so, must be registered.
In this particular case a Torbay computer business owner paid Mr Chalk to dispose of the goods but Mr Chalk did not have a waste carriers licence.
The unwanted goods were later found in Orestone Lane by a member of the public who reported it to Teignbridge District Council. Community Environment Wardens began an investigation and Teignbridge’s legal team brought the case to court under the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act.
Magistrates convicted Mr Chalk in his absence after he failed to turn up at a court hearing for the second time on March 22 2016. He was fined £660 and a victim surcharge of £66. Teignbridge District Council was awarded costs of £440.
The business owner, while cooperative with the investigation, was given a fixed penalty notice for using an unauthorised waste carrier to get rid of the waste.
David Eaton, Teignbridge District Council’s Environmental Protection Manager, said:
“Fly-tipping is illegal, unsightly, environmentally harmful and costly to the taxpayer.
“It’s really important for people to remember that if they use someone who is not registered and their rubbish is dumped that they can be held responsible too, so what may seem like a cheap job can end up being really expensive –in this case the business owner received a fixed penalty notice of £300.
“We would urge anyone wanting to remove waste from their home or business to check that the removal company has got a waste carriers licence. It’s easy to feel tempted into handing over rubbish to someone who offers to take it away for a bargain price, but it’s likely to end up dumped illegally somewhere.
“This case is the result of our environment teams working closely with our legal team to produce this successful result which helps recuperate costs on behalf of the taxpayer.
“We recognise that fly-tipping is a serious and important matter to our residents and we will continue to prosecute offenders when we have reliable evidence.”
People can report it online at any time of the day by visiting www.teignbridge.gov.uk/reportit. Teignbridge operates a freephone number for reporting environmental crime and welcome calls on 0800 328 6402.
