Fly-tipper who was paid £30 to remove waste ends up with near £700 court bill

Josh Wray, of Burnside Avenue, Horden, was taken to court after waste was found dumped at Warren House Gill in the village, just beyond the Horden recycling centre.

A neighbourhood warden from Durham County Council, who was on a patrol of known fly-tipping hotspots, came across the dumped black bin liners filled with household waste in November.

Inside the bags were a number of letters, which were traced to a relative, who confirmed she had paid him £30 to remove the waste.

When the warden spoke to Wray, 22, he confirmed he was responsible for the waste but said he could not afford to pay the fixed penalty notice and then failed to attend a scheduled interview.

At Peterlee Magistrates’ Court, Wray pleaded guilty to flytipping and said he had been out to make quick money.

He was fined £320 and ordered to pay investigation costs of £268.70, legal costs of £65 and a £34 victim surcharge - a total of £687.70.

Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said after the case: “There really is no excuse for fly-tipping.

"There are many ways to dispose of your unwanted items correctly, including in this case, a recycling centre just along from where the rubbish was dumped.

“Anyone paying for someone to take away their waste should always ask where it is going. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is, so it is always better to be cautious.”

He added: “Thankfully, most people dispose of their waste responsibly across County Durham. For the minority who don’t, we hope this latest prosecution serves as a reminder as to how seriously we take this issue.

"We would also encourage anyone to report any instances of fly-tipping in order to help us to take action against those who choose to blight our landscape in this way.”

To find out more about how to dispose of waste correctly, visit www.durham.gov.uk/recycling and to report flytipping, visit www.durham.gov.uk/flytipping