Resident convicted for paying a ‘man with a van’ to dispose of waste

A Chesterfield resident has been convicted and fined for paying an unauthorised ‘man with a van’ to remove their waste which was later fly tipped down a country lane in Teversal, Sutton in Ashfield.

The waste which consisted of carboard boxes, a vehicle bumper and refuse sack were found by the Council’s Community Protection Officers during routine patrol near to the Hardwick Inn Public house. 

Following robust investigation, Mr A.Hetea of Holmewood, Chesterfield, was cautioned and interviewed by the Community Protection Officers over the alleged offence and was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice on 31 August 2022 requiring him to pay £200.

Despite the Council offering ample opportunity for the notice to be paid which could have meant the case could have been resolved, Mr Hetea didn’t pay the fine resulting in Council’s Community Safety Team taking the case to court.

Mr Hetea was subsequently arrested and bailed to attend Court. On 12 July 2023, the case was heard at Nottingham Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty and was convicted under Section 34(2A) and (6) of the Environmental protection Act 1990 for failing to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the transfer of waste on his property was removed by an authorised person.

Mr Hetea was fined £200 and required to pay £80 victim surcharge. He will also be responsible for paying legal costs of £500, totalling £780.

The District Judge Young commented that fly tipping is an eyesore which spoils the enjoyment of the environment, affecting humans and animals.

Cllr Helen-Ann Smith, The Council’s Deputy Leader and Corporate Lead for Community Safety & Crime Reduction said:

“This is another case of a resident disregarding their legal responsibility to dispose of their waste correctly and ignoring warnings issued by the Council. Where possible will always try to work with individuals to resolve the issues, however failure to pay the fixed penalty notice meant we had no choice but to take the case to court.

“We will not tolerate environmental crime of any kind, and this should act as a warning to those that think that they will get away with dumping waste, fly-tipping and littering in our District."

Antonio Taylor, Community Safety Manager at Ashfield District Council, added:

"I want to thank all the officers involved in this case who investigated the fly tip and built a strong evidence base to support the conviction. We are working hard to prevent fly tipping in our District and we have invested significantly in CCTV to support our investigations which will help catch those responsible.’’

The Council offers a waste collection service, where it collects large items, like fridges and freezers.

You can book and pay for this online on the bulky waste collection page.