Facebook Fly-Tipper Fined £1,815 For Dumping Rubbish Near Howden

A man from Hull who advertised a waste removal service on Facebook has been ordered to pay £1,815 after dumping a resident’s rubbish in a layby near Howden.

Audrius Zigmantas, of Doncaster Street, Hull, admitted he and a friend collected the waste from a resident in Cottingham, using his van, but he claimed it was his friend who disposed of the items.

Mr Zigmantas pleaded guilty to the illegal disposal of waste on land off the B1230 road at Balkholme when he appeared at Beverley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 29 May.

He was fined £853 and was ordered to pay costs of £877 with a victim surcharge of £85.

The court heard the streetscene staff at East Riding of Yorkshire Council found a large amount of rubbish had been fly-tipped in a layby on the B1230 road at Balkholme, near the M62 bridge, on 17 August last year.

The waste included several mattresses, a number of black bin bags, clothing and part of a car bumper. Evidence found at the scene related to an address in Cottingham.

Streetscene enforcement officers investigating the case interviewed the resident of the Cottingham address, who said they had contacted Mr Zigmantas after seeing an advert for his waste removal service on Facebook.

They said Mr Zigmantas and another man collected the waste from their home.

When interviewed, Mr Zigmantas said he had been self-employed for a few months in 2018 and had worked with a friend doing handyman jobs and waste removal.

At court, he admitted to visiting the house in Cottingham with his friend and removing the resident’s waste using his van, but he said his friend disposed of it.

Unsuccessful attempts were made to locate and contact Mr Zigmantas’s friend.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council continues to remind residents of the risks of using unlicensed firms or individuals to remove their waste, as some operate illegally and fly-tip your waste.

Firms operating legally will hold a waste carriers’ licence and be registered with the Environment Agency. Residents can check that registration online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister or by calling the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506.