A LYDE Green man has been told to pay more than £360 in fines and costs after dumping ten bags of rubbish on a green space near his home.
David Shelton, aged 25, appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on July 8.
The court was told that on January 31 this year, ten black sacks full of household rubbish were found fly-tipped on the grass between Honeysuckle Road and Trefoil Way in Lyde Green.
After the waste was examined, mail addressed to Shelton’s home around the corner in Burdock Road was found.
He was contacted by South Gloucestershire Council – which at the time was running a campaign targeting the dumping of household waste – and the following month attended the council’s offices in Yate for a voluntary interview.
A council spokesperson said: “During the interview he was shown images of the waste dumped at Honeysuckle Way and admitted that he was responsible for fly-tipping the waste.
“Shelton stated the waste had built up over time at the address which he shares with his partner and her family.
“He had been storing the additional waste in the home’s green waste bin, and took it upon himself one night, after dark, to wheel the bin to the nearby green space and tip the sacks of waste out.
“Shelton fully accepted responsibility for the offence of fly-tipping, stating that he acted out of frustration in the heat of the moment.”
At the court hearing Shelton pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and was told to pay a £120 fine, £200 in costs and a £48 victim surcharge – a total of £368.
Cabinet councillor for environmental enforcement Sean Rhodes said: “Residents can easily get rid of this type of waste for free at one of South Gloucestershire’s Sort It recycling centres.
“There is no excuse for fly-tipping and harming the environment. We all have a responsibility to ensure that our waste is disposed of in a responsible and lawful manner.
“South Gloucestershire Council always pursues fly-tip related prosecutions through the courts and our award-winning environmental enforcement team has a 100% record of securing successful prosecutions for this type of offence.”
Anyone who sees illegal fly-tipping is encouraged to report it by calling the council’s StreetCare helpdesk on 01454 868000, emailing streetcare@southglos.gov.uk or visiting the www.southglos.gov.uk/flytipping website.