Northampton men fined £1,180 for dumping furniture at side of road in village after council trace it back to family who hired them

Jamie Cowell, 27, of Wysall Road, and Rocky Whitney, 18, of Lasham Court, chucked away sofas, tables and bicycles they had been hired to dispose of by dumping at the side of the road in Lower Ecton Lane, Ecton.

But when the flytipped waste was investigated by Wellingborough Norse and the Borough Council of Wellingborough, they found an address label linking the rubbish to the householder who hired the pair, who told them how to find the contractors.

The pair later claimed they had transferred the waste to a scrap metal collector - but had no records to show this transfer, or even for collecting it in the first place.

Cowell and Whitney pleaded guilty on 27 January 2020 to depositing waste illegally and 'waste duty of care' offences and were fined a total of £1,180.

Cowell was fined £300 plus £420 costs and £30 victim surcharge. Whitney, who was under 18 at the time of the offence, received a reduced fine of £100 plus £300 costs and £30 victim surcharge.

The council says it serves as a reminder that homeowners are still responsible for their waste when they pay for it to be taken away, because if they do not check that the contractors have a licence they can also be prosecuted.

In this case, the homeowners helped officers to investigate the fly-tippers and did not receive a fine or prosecution.

Leader of the Borough Council of Wellingborough, councillor Martin Griffiths, said: “Fly-tipping has a negative impact on our environment and countryside. Removing and investigating reports of fly-tipping involves staff time and considerable costs. It is disappointing that waste carriers, who residents should have trusted to responsibly dispose of their items, dumped these household items on a quiet lane in our borough’s beautiful countryside.

“If you use a waste disposal service to take your items away, make sure that they hold the relevant paperwork and that your items will recycled or disposed of appropriately.

“We will not hesitate to prosecute anyone responsible for committing this despicable crime.”