Daventry man fined £1k for fly-tipping

Thomas O’Donovan, 30, was originally sent warning letters by the district council after he was seen dumping a range of household items in a walkway alcove near his home on The Stour, Daventry.

When further items appeared that could be traced to Mr O’Donovan, a council enforcement officer issued him with a £400 fixed penalty notice, which would have been reduced to £300 had it been paid within ten days.

However, when this was also ignored, the council was left with no option but to pursue court action.

Appearing before Northampton Magistrates' Court on July 4, Mr O’Donovan pleaded guilty to two counts of fly-tipping and was fined £400 and ordered to pay costs of £638.88, plus a victim surcharge of £30.

Councillor Richard Auger, environmental health and housing portfolio holder on Daventry District Council, said: "Fly-tipping is a significant problem across our district, and the cost of investigating and clearing it is considerable.

"Cases such as this not only show that we will take action where there is sufficient evidence to do so, but should also serve as a warning not to ignore fixed penalty notices, as we will take matters further if needs be."