Salisbury man fined after dumping furniture in flats bin store
He was prosecuted after failing to pay a fixed penalty notice
A Salisbury man has been prosecuted after dumping household waste and furniture in a communal bin store.
Radu Marton, of Tollage Road in Salisbury, admitted to fly tipping the items and has been fined £1,090 including costs and a victim surcharge.
The offence was reported in December 2024 and Environmental Enforcement officers from Wiltshire Council large items had been dumped in the bin store used for a block of flats in the city.
It included a rolled-up mattress, a sofa, chairs and a table, as well as a children's bicycle and a suitcase.
A witness identified Mr Marton as the individual responsible. He was interviewed under caution and handed a £1,000 fixed penalty notice (FPN), which has not been paid, leading to the court prosecution.
The witness who aided the officers in identifying Mr Martin has been rewarded with high street vouchers as part of the council's "We're Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign, which aims to reward people who give the council information that leads to a FPN or prosecution.
Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, Streetscene and Flooding, said: "There is really no excuse for fly-tipping, and that is why we are committed to holding any offenders accountable.
"Mr Marton had several lawful options to dispose of his unwanted furniture, including donating items for reuse at his local household recycling centre or using our large item collection service. Instead, he chose to dump them in a communal bin store, causing disruption for other residents and committing a criminal offence.
"People who are caught fly-tipping can be issued with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice or be taken to court, where they could face an unlimited fine or imprisonment. Mr Radu could have avoided the court action by paying his fixed penalty notice but failed to do so - leaving us no choice but to take legal action."
"I'd like to thank the resident who assisted us and helped us bring this case to court. I encourage anyone who spots a fly-tip in the county, or someone disposing of their waste illegally, to report it to us using MyWilts. In doing so, they could receive a reward of up to £200 in gift vouchers if the information they provide leads to a successful prosecution, or a fixed penalty notice being paid."
Wiltshire Council and some charities can collect bulky items such as furniture, carpets and bicycles from properties for reuse, for more information, people can visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/10478/Large-item-reuse-and-collection.Good quality reusable items can also be donated to a household recycling centre for reuse; find out more at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/donate-your-items-to-a-hrc.
To find out more about how the council is tackling fly-tipping in Wiltshire and how to report fly-tipping, people should visit: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.