West Lindsey resident fined £400 after 'man with a van' dumped rubbish illegally

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 for West Lindsey District Council said that they received a report of a fly-tip at Normanby-by-Stow from a member of the local community on April 21.

He said: “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 that 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.

Coun Owen Bierley, chairman of the Prosperous Communities Committee, 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 said: “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 works closely with The Police and Environment Agency, sharing intelligence and carrying out joint patrols to tackle issues like fly-tipping.