A St Albans resident has been ordered to pay more than £3,000 following a fly-tipping incident in Barnes Lane, Kings Langley in July 2023.
On Wednesday 31 January 2024, at St Albans Magistrates’ Court, Peter Gumble of Barley Mow, St Albans, pleaded guilty to the unauthorised deposit of controlled waste in Barnes Lane. The defendant was ordered to pay a total of £3039.50, which consisted of a £880 fine, £1,807.50 costs and a victim surcharge of £352.
The court heard that on Monday 3 July 2023, a male driver of a white Ford Transit van was caught on a Dacorum Borough Council-installed covert camera dumping a number of fridges and fridge freezers on the country lane. The vehicle was traced to Gumble and despite numerous efforts, he failed to engage with officers. The Council referred the matter to Court where an arrest warrant was granted. Gumble handed himself into police on Monday 8 January 2024.
Cllr Robin Bromham, the Council’s Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Operations, said:
“Fly-tipping is completely unacceptable as it has a huge negative impact on our local community and surrounding environment and wildlife.
“We investigate all fly-tipping incidents and issue fixed penalty notices or prosecute individuals when sufficient evidence is found. I’d like to remind residents to always check your waste carrier’s registration details on the Environment Agency website to ensure that your waste is dealt with responsibly.”
Follow the SCRAP fly tipping code to make sure your waste is disposed of legally:
- S – Suspect all waste carriers. Don’t let them take your waste until they have proven themselves to be legitimate. A professional waste carrier should happily answer reasonable questions.
- C – Check that a waste carrier is registered on the Environment Agency’s website. Note down the registration number of the vehicle used to take your waste away.
- R – Refuse any unexpected offers to have your rubbish taken away.
- A – Ask what will happen to your rubbish and seek evidence that it is going to be disposed of appropriately.
- P – Paperwork must be obtained – a proper invoice, waste transfer note or receipt, including a description of the waste being removed and the waste carrier’s contact details.
More information about how to help SCRAP fly tipping can be found on the Council’s fly-tipping page at www.dacorum.gov.uk/fly-tipping.
Dacorum residents can dispose of household waste free of charge at any of Hertfordshire County Council’s recycling centres, or can pay to use the Council’s bulky waste collection service.
More information about recycling centres can be found on the Council’s recycling centres page at www.dacorum.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.
More information about the bulky waste collection service can be found at www.dacorum.gov.uk/bulkywaste.