Stark warning as waste disposal leads to £400 fine

West Lindsey District Council’s Community Safety Team issued the fixed penalty notice following an investigation for a fly-tipping offence.

In this instance, the resident paid a ‘man with a van’ to remove their rubbish, who then dumped it at Normanby-by-Stow illegally.

Kim Enderby, senior licensing and community safety officer at the council, said it received a report of a fly-tip at Normanby-by-Stow from a member of the local community on April 21.

He continued: “Officers attended and made a search of the discarded rubbish and seized items, which, on further investigation, led us to the owner of the illegally dumped property.

“When we spoke with the resident, it appeared they saw a ‘man with a van’ advertising on Facebook and paid him to remove the rubbish.

"The man with the van then dumped it at Normanby-by-Stow.

“They paid in cash for his services and did not receive an invoice or any other kind of paperwork. Nothing was done to check that they were employing the services of a responsible, legitimate business with the correct waste carriers licence in place.”

As the resident was unable to demonstrate the work was carried out, they ultimately remained responsible for the illegal dumping of their belongings and were issued with the £400 fine – which has now been paid in full.

Chairman of the prosperous communities committee, councillor Owen Bierley said the council “will not tolerate fly-tipping” and that the council’s aim is to make West Lindsey “a safe and vibrant place to live, work and socialise”.

He added: “Residents must always take the time to ensure that they are hiring the services of a legitimate business.

"By doing such a thing, it will help prevent fly-tipping offences occurring in the future, and could also prevent residents from receiving a £400 fixed penalty notice.”

The council has seen a rise in criminal activity of this type. The message to the public is to carry out a few simple checks before paying someone to remove your waste:

Visit the Environment Agency website to check the business is registered; don’t pay in cash and do ask for a waste transfer note or invoice.

To report fly-tipping visit: www.west-lindsey.gov.uk