Hartlepool van driver has vehicle seized and sold after he illegally dumped fridges

Ian Gordon Charlton, of Hartlepool, disposed of a total of 10 fridges over three separate visits to same County Durham spot between June and July of last year.

Cameras set up at the Fishburn layby identified his vehicle’s registration plate and he was summoned to attend an interview under caution.

Charlton, 62, of Selby Grove, initially denied involvement until he was shown the footage.

He claimed that he removed the fridges, which are classed as potentially hazardous waste as they contain substances that can harm the environment, from a friend’s farm.

Charlton told investigating officers at Durham County Council that he had originally intended to dispose of them at a site where he works as a waste collector.

But he gave no explanation as to why he instead chose to dump them in the layby.

Following the investigation, Charlton’s van was seized by the council and sold at auction for £3,588.

The proceeds will be used to fund environmental projects within the community.

Peterlee Magistrates’ Court heard that the layby used by Charlton was regularly targeted by fly tippers.

This is despite signs on both its approach and in the layby itself which warn of the use of security cameras in the area.

Charlton, who attended the hearing, pleaded guilty to three offences under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Magistrates ordered him to pay a total of £1,704.88p, covering £1,548.88p in costs and a victim surcharge of £156.

They also imposed an eight-month custodial sentence, which was suspended for two years, although they stopped short of imposing a driving ban as disqualification would cause him to lose his job.

Ian Hoult, the council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said afterwards that there was “no excuse for fly tipping” and that the authority will continue to tackle offenders.

He added: “This was a repeated deliberate act, dumping potentially hazardous substances.

"This prosecution shows that we take such offences very seriously and will take action against those who fail to dispose of their waste responsibly.

“Where we can, we use any money raised in the process of tackling environmental crimes to enhance our county and several local environmental projects will benefit from the sale of Mr Charlton’s van.

“People who illegally dispose of rubbish undermine legitimate businesses.

"If someone offers to take away your waste, it is essential that you always check that it is being taken by a registered waste carrier and where it is being taken.

“We will continue to target those who dump waste illegally as there is simply no excuse for fly tipping.

"There are many ways to dispose of waste correctly, including booking bulky waste collection or taking unwanted items to one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres.”

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

To report a fly tipping incident in County Durham, visit www.durham.gov.uk/flytipping.

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