Chesterfield man fined after dumping carpet

In a case brought by Chesterfield Borough Council at Chesterfield magistrates’ court at the end of last month, John Holmes, 66, of Byron Road, pleaded guilty to depositing controlled waste on land without a permit under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Holmes was caught on CCTV illegally dumping a number of rolls and pieces of carpet on the McGregors Way public car park in Chesterfield in May.

He was identified after the CCTV footage was obtained from a neighbouring property.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, the borough council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We take a very serious view of anyone found dumping rubbish illegally and we will take enforcement action – including through the courts where appropriate.

“Anyone who sees rubbish being dumped should report it to our hotline by calling 01246 345345.”

Holmes was ordered to pay a total of £460 in fines, costs and court fees.

When passing sentence the magistrates told Holmes that dumping rubbish is a serious problem and that his act was a deliberate one.

Holmes was given credit for his early guilty plea.

A borough council spokesman said: “Fly-tipping is a commonly used term for rubbish that is illegally dumped on land without permission from the landowners or without a licence.

“It is the responsibility of the landowner to remove fly-tipping from their own land and prevent further tipping.

“We will always try to trace the origin of the waste and when it was dumped.

“The borough council uses various methods and technology to identify offenders. This includes covert surveillance at fly-tipping locations, carrying out stop-and-search exercises with the police on vehicles which may be carrying waste and working with the Environment Agency as well as having our own team of dedicated enforcement officers who are highly trained in tracing offenders.

“If you see anyone who is dumping waste, do not approach them. Please try to record as much information as possible, such as descriptions of people, registration details of vehicles and any markings such as a business name. If you have a camera or telephone camera, take pictures if safe to do so only. Also note the date, time and location and contact us as soon as possible.”