A fly-tipper from Beverley was caught on video by a member of the public while he dumped a pile of waste.
Quick-thinking witnesses videoed Aaron Jones, of Queens Road, Beverley, after they spotted him unloading items from a vehicle and leaving them on the roadside in Waterside Road, Beverley.
Mr Jones pleaded guilty to the illegal disposal of waste on land in Waterside Road, Beverley, when he appeared at Beverley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 27 November.
Mr Jones was fined £500 and was ordered to pay £289.33 costs and a £50 victim surcharge.
The court heard a member of the public witnessed a fly-tipping incident on 6 July this year and reported it to East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
The witness had seen two men in a vehicle pull up in Waterside Road, along Beverley Beck, saw them discard rubbish from a trailer before they ran back to the vehicle and drove off. The witness had taken video footage of the men driving off and of the rubbish they had left behind.
Streetscene enforcement officers visited the scene and found a wooden bookcase, children’s toys, a vacuum cleaner, wallpaper and other items.
Evidence found at the scene and the vehicle shown in the video was traced back to Aaron Jones.
Mr Jones admitted leaving the waste when he was interviewed by a streetscene enforcement officer but said when he had been contacted by the council he returned to the scene and cleared the waste himself.
He was issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice but failed to pay, so the case was taken to court.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council continues to remind residents they are responsible for disposing of their own waste properly and legally.
Anyone caught fly-tipping could be ordered to pay a £400 fixed penalty notice or the case can be taken to court, where they face an unlimited fine or even imprisonment.
Paul Tripp, head of streetscene services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “We’d like to thank this witness for their response in taking video footage of this fly-tipping incident and reporting it to us so quickly.
“While we urge people never to approach fly-tippers, any evidence witnesses can provide, such as number plates, can be extremely useful in tracing the people responsible.”
Residents can dispose of waste – like the bookcase and vacuum cleaner in this case – by taking it to their local household waste recycling site.
For larger loads, they can also hire a licensed waste carrier to take the rubbish away, or use the council’s own bulky waste collection service.
