County Durham man fined over £2,000 for fly tipping

Peterlee Magistrates heard that a neighbourhood warden from the council found a fly tip of soil in a rural setting at Bank Foot in July this year.

CCTV footage was then checked, and it showed the vehicle entering the site on three occasions between 11:10am and 12:39pm the same day.

Jonathan Mackenzie, 37 from Willington, now faces a criminal conviction and a fine of £2,600 after his actions.

Jonathan can be seen on the CCTV, each time, opening the rear tailgate of his vehicle and depositing the loads of soil.

CCTV of Jonathan Mackenzie and his vehicle fly tipping (Image: Durham County Council) The vehicle was later located at his address and seized until after the court hearing.

In court, Mackenzie pleaded guilty to three charges of depositing-controlled waste without a licence.

In a second case, Newton Aycliffe magistrates heard that a neighbourhood warden discovered waste in the backyard of a residential property at Tees Street in Horden, in December last year.

The waste included a mattress, cushions, and bin bags.

Kimberley Jane Ellis's residential property where she fly tipped and failed to dispose of rubbish in the correct way (Image: Durham County Council) Kimberley Jane Ellis was found to be the perpetrator after evidence was found in the waste that linked it to her.

Ellis was written to and did not respond, so was sent a legal notice requiring her to attend an interview.

The court heard that in the interim, a further deposit of waste was found at the same address in Tees Street.

Ellis failed to attend the interview or to contact the council but was given a further opportunity to come in and speak to wardens. Again, she failed to attend or to make contact.

In court, Ellis pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to ensure her waste was transferred by an authorised person; and failing to attend an interview.

In mitigation, magistrates were told she was moving house and had paid someone £100 to move her waste but didn’t check whether they had a licence and wasn’t aware if her rubbish had been properly disposed of. The court heard Ellis didn’t attend an interview as she had been in hospital and then it slipped her mind.

Ellis was fined a total of £651.20 for her offences.

Read More:

• Public-Shaming, Fly-Tipping, and the Community of Darlington

• Fly-tipping 'blighting' communities across Middlesbrough

• Three men charged for poaching as new rules see a crackdown on offence

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Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “There are all sorts of ways to get rid of waste legally, including our household waste recycling centres.

“We know the vast majority of our residents and businesses do dispose of their waste responsibly and we are grateful to them for that.

“Dumping waste as Mr. Mackenzie did is never the answer as it is both unsightly and bad for the environment.

“It is also important that people who are getting someone else to dispose of waste on their behalf, make sure it will end up at the right place.

“Ms. Ellis made arrangements for someone to get rid of two lots of waste but did not ensure it was disposed of correctly, resulting in it being dumped at a residential property.

“Both defendants are now left with criminal convictions and with considerable financial penalties as a result of their actions.

“We hope what has happened to them will act as a lesson to both them and others in the future and show that we will pursue enforcement against anyone committing environmental offences.”