11 Sep Basildon resident fined for leaving furniture on land behind her own home
A Basildon resident has been fined and ordered to pay more than £500 after flytipping on the public footway at the rear of her property.
Charmaine Craven, 33, of Bronte Drive, Basildon, appeared at Basildon Magistrates Court on Wednesday 4 September after pleading guilty to dumping a sofa on 2 May 2019 contrary to Section 33(1)(a) and Section 33(6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Magistrates commented that this type of offence is not acceptable and that flytipping impacted society, highlighting the cost to local authorities and the unsightly views for residents.
She was ordered to pay an £80 fine, as well as a victim surcharge of £30 and an additional £450 towards prosecution costs.
Chairman of Basildon Council’s Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee Councillor David Harrison, said: “Last month we launched our “We’re Cleaning Up” Campaign which has a strong emphasis on enforcement. This case highlights our commitment to ensuring those who fly-tip are held to account.
“This case shows that Fixed Penalty Notices cannot simply be ignored and we will prosecute wherever possible when evidence exists that an individual has failed to apply their duty of care. Everyone is responsible for ensuring all their waste is disposed of correctly and goes to a legal, licensed waste carrier.”
Leader of Basildon Council Gavin Callaghan added: “’We are taking a zero tolerance approach to flytippers and those flagrantly breaching the rules. We are on the side of people doing the right thing for their communities and we won’t tolerate it if anyone ignores the law.
“We removed more than 3,600 flytips last year with more than 80% of that coming from household waste. It’s time we brought these levels down. Cases like this highlight the consequences, which can be costly.” Visit www.basildon.gov.uk/cleaning-up for more information on the campaign and special collections.
