A Kent man has been hit with a penalty of over £10,000 for illegally dumping waste in Croydon.
Steven Basset was found guilty under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and was convicted of fly-tipping.
He was caught after a resident’s CCTV captured the fly-tipping incident and they reported it to Croydon Council.
Bassett was fined £3,000, ordered to pay £6,000 in costs, and a £1,200 victim surcharge, totalling £10,200.
The Council encourages anyone who sees dumped waste to report it through the Love Clean Streets app.
The Council’s proactive fly-tipping clearing service clears 98 per cent of reported fly-tips within 24 hours.
The Council worked with Kent Police to make sure Bassett went to court after he missed a court hearing.
Executive Mayor Jason Perry’s key priority is making Croydon a cleaner, safer, and healthier place to live, work, and visit.
Croydon Council will not tolerate the illegal dumping of waste in the borough and will seek to prosecute offenders.
During sentencing remarks, the District Judge found the offence to have caused localised harm to the environment as defined by the relevant sentencing guidelines.
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon Council, said: “Keeping the streets clean and restoring pride in our borough is a key priority to me.
“Fly-tipping is horrible, it makes areas look untidy and can make them feel unsafe. When residents and businesses report fly-tips to us, we clear them quickly – 98% of them within 24 hours.
“This prosecution is a great example of how when residents work with us, a real difference can be made.
“I encourage everyone to report environmental issues like fly-tipping to us when they see it, and to let us know if they have any more information about specific incidents.”