A landlord has been left with a court bill of nearly £2,000 after he paid someone £100 to get rid of rubbish which was then fly-tipped.
Eoghan Dehalla, a residential landlord, was prosecuted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council after rubbish was dumped at New Road in Fritton and at a underpass at Mill Road, Cobholm.
Dehalla, 59, of Southtown Road, Great Yarmouth, had paid someone £100 to dispose of the rubbish, which included furniture, without checking if he had waste carrier licence from the Environment Agency.
The rubbish was dumped on February 3 and 4 leading to an investigation from the council’s environmental rangers team.
The investigation led to Dehalla pleading guilty at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court to failing in his duty to control waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
He was fined £1,153 and told to pay £563.70 in costs and £100 in compensation, plus a £115 victim surcharge.
His successful prosecution was welcomed by Carl Smith, chairman of the borough council’s environment committee.
He said: “This case and its outcome reflect both the seriousness of the crime and the proactive approach that our environmental rangers take to tackling environmental crime head-on.
“Much of the fly-tipping stems from unlicensed waste collectors, whose continued existence is a result of people failing to check that anyone collecting waste from their property has a licence.
“The costs are not just environmental.
“In this case, the landlord paid £100 for the waste to be collected, but ended up with a conviction and a court bill totalling nearly £2,000, including £100 compensation to the council for clear-up costs.”
Anyone who witnesses an environmental crime in the borough or has information that may help to identify an offender should contact the environmental rangers.
The quickest way to report is to download the Report IT GY App, or you can call the council team on 01493 846478.
People can call the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 to request an instant waste carrier validation check, or check the public register online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here