On top of the hefty charges, failing to pay an FPN and being found guilty by the courts means these five residents, some of whose actions date back to 2018, now have a disclosable criminal conviction.
Kirsty Dearden of Fidler Street, Thatto Heath was fined for dumping household food waste, dog excrement and used nappies on land to the rear of her home. After failing to pay, Dearden pleaded guilty at a court hearing and was charged a £100 fine, £195 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
Connor Haggerty of Tennyson Street, Sutton Manor was caught tipping five bin bags of domestic waste in the alleyway a the rear of his property, and hit with a £400 FPN. At court after failing to pay the FPN and pleading guilty, Haggerty was ordered to pay a £173 fine, £195 in costs and a £32 victim surcharge.
Brandon Kenny of Gertrude Street, Thatto Heath discarded broken flags and wood, and a range of household items behind his home including children’s play mats, a mop and chair pad. Pleading guilty at court after failing to pay the FPN, a £100 fine, £195 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge was imposed on Kenny.
Michael Smith of Bourne Gardens, Peasley Cross was caught tipping waste near Heath Street and failed to pay his £400 Fixed Penalty Notice. At the court hearing, Smith entered a guilty plea and was ordered to pay a fine of £205, as well as £195 in costs.
And Samantha Worthington of Sheffield Row, Vulcan Village left carpets, an exercise bike and a hoover cylinder on land near her home and was also hit with a £400 FPN, which she failed to pay in full.
Worthington attended court and pleaded guilty to the offence. The judge ordered her to pay £195.00 costs, £173.00 fine and £32.00 victim surcharge.
The success of these court cases follows the launch of a local awareness campaign called #ThinkTwice earlier this year, urging residents to do just that when arranging waste collection services and highlighting the criminality of fly-tipping.
Labour Councillor Jeanie Bell, Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities, says: “We said we would prosecute, we have, and we will continue to do so. There is no excuse for fly tipping. #ThinkTwice before you do it.”
Even if you’re not the one dumping waste, you could be breaking the law and be left with a hefty fine if you hand waste over to someone who isn’t licensed if they dump it where they shouldn’t.
If you pay someone to dispose of your waste, make sure they’re operating legally. Householders have a ‘duty of care’ to check that someone they pay to remove waste from their property is a licensed waste carrier.
You can easily check if someone has a waste carrier’s licence online:
- Ask for their license number and check it here.
- When they come to collect your waste, ask them to provide a waste transfer note or a receipt. You can download and print a template here.
Have you seen dumped waste or someone fly-tipping in St Helens Borough? Report it to the council online at www.sthelens.gov.uk/report-a-problem, report via the mobile app found by searching ‘St Helens Borough Council’ in your app store, or call 01744 676789.
For more information visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/flytipping
Residents can arrange to have their bulky rubbish collected by the council. Find out more or book a collection online at www.sthelens.gov.uk/recycling-rubbish-waste/bulky-waste-collections.