Northampton couple who cleaned up roadside left bogged down with someone else's flytipping after tip turns them away

A Northampton couple have been left holding someone else's toilet after discovering you can't simply clean up flytipping and take it to the tip yourself.

Joanne and Justin Carlin, from Moulton, thought doing a good thing for their local area would be as simple as throwing someone else's junk in their van and hauling to the waste centre. They were even prepared to pay the commercial waste fees to do it.

But to their surprise, they are now wondering what to do with the second-hand toilet and tyres they cleared away - because the waste centre couldn't accept it.

Justin said: "It turns out you have to have special permission to clear away flytipping.

"We were just trying to do something good. It's just silly bureaucracy."

Justin and Joanne spotted the flytipped rubbish while driving on the A43 between Moulton and Holcote last week.

The couple - who already have a van and a commercial waste licence through their plumbing and heating business Northampton H2O - took it upon themselves to do something about it.

In the space of half an hour, they cleared away the roadside dump, including several tyres, carpets, toys and a toilet system.

Justin said: "I got it in my van and took it to Brixworth Waste and Recycling.

"I got there and was open about where I had got it from. But that's when the team told me they couldn't take it - I didn't have permission to pick it up in the first place.

"I explained I had a waste carrying licence too but that didn't change it. They were just doing what they were instructed to do of course.

"Honestly, I laughed a little bit. Now I'm wondering what I'm going to do with it all.

"The message I want to convey is is shouldn't have been dumped in the first place. If you fire someone don't be embarrassed to ask to see their waste carrying licence, because if you don't and it gets flytipped it can be traced back to you and you pay the costs."

Northamptonshire County Council, which is responsible for the county's waste and recycling centres, said anyone with flytipping concerns should report it to their local council first instead of trying to tackle it themselves.

Councillor Jason Smithers, county council cabinet member for Highways and Place, said: “Northamptonshire’s residents can help by reporting fly tipping to their local council. This enables the fly tipping to be investigated and, where possible, enforcement action taken against the person who illegally dumped the rubbish. Some fly tipped rubbish may contain dangerous or hazardous materials which require specialist handling and disposal.

“The network of Household Waste Recycling Centres within Northamptonshire are for residents to dispose of waste from their own household.”