CCTV helps to catch two Ashford fly-tippers

Two separate cases of fly-tipping have ended in big fines for two Ashford residents thanks to teamwork by Ashford Borough Council’s Environmental Enforcement team and the council staff who monitor the town’s CCTV network.

Case 1: Fly-tipped waste on Gilbert Road

At the end of May a large amount of household waste was reported on Gilbert Road, including sofa and cushions, mattress and a fridge freezer. A local business owner informed the Environmental Enforcement team that the rubbish arrived on the weekend of 25 and 26 May.

Staff at the Ashford Monitoring Centre checked CCTV footage for that weekend and could clearly see parts of the sofa and cushions plus fridge freezer being removed from a property on New Street and being carried in the direction of Gilbert Road.

Following further investigations by the Environmental Enforcement team a 42-year-old man living in New Street was invited to attend an interview under caution where he admitted paying someone £30 to remove waste from his property. He did not request sight of an authorised waste carrier’s license and did not obtain a waste transfer note, invoice or receipt.

He was issued with a £600 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for failing in a householder’s duty of care. The fine has been paid.

Case 2: Fly-tipped waste in Flour Mills car park

An ABC housing officer contacted the Environmental Enforcement team to say that on 23 July he saw bulky waste being unloaded from a rental Ford Transit van into the communal bin area at Somerset Heights in Park Street, Ashford.

The housing officer told the individuals involved that the bin area was for Somerset Heights’ residents only and that they could not dump their bulky waste there. They put the items back in the van and left. The eagle-eyed housing officer said one of the items was a large white mirrored part of a wardrobe. He noted the vehicle’s registration number and name of the rental company.

A few days later, staff in the CCTV monitoring centre reported a fly-tip in Flour Mills car park just outside the town centre. The rubbish included a wardrobe and drawers. The Environmental Enforcement team visited the car park to find the fly-tip, consisting of a fridge freezer, mattress, part of wardrobe and drawers. The wardrobe matched the description the housing officer gave for the items he saw being unloaded in the Somerset Heights bin area on 23 July.

Council staff checked CCTV footage for 23 July and saw the same rental Ford Transit van entering Flour Mills car park, with the fly-tipped items being visible in the car park after the van had driven off.

The Environmental Enforcement team contacted the rental company who supplied the hirer’s details, a 31-year-old man from Wellesley Road. He was invited to attend an interview under caution and admitted fly-tipping the items at the Flour Mills car park. He was issued with a £1,000 Fixed Penalty Notice.

Ashford Borough Council takes the illegal dumping of waste seriously and will issue fines against offenders and car owners involved in fly-tipping. Householders have a duty of care to ensure that they dispose of their household waste correctly. If you have bulk rubbish this can be disposed of at the local recycling centre or by arranging bulk collection services provided by Suez. If you are caught fly-tipping using a vehicle then the registered keeper is liable and fines will be served.

Many of the leads that end with offenders being caught come from residents alerting the team to fly-tipping incidents by using the Report It page on the council’s website.