Man fined after fly tipping in Pewsey claimed sofa fell out his vehicle
Wiltshire Council continues crackdown on waste being dumped illegally
Last updated 7th Oct 2021
A man has been prosecuted by Wiltshire Council and fined after illegally dumping a sofa in Pewsey.
Bryan Burrows, aged 54, of 4 York Place, St Martins, Marlborough was also prosecuted for failing to provide waste transfer notes to the council and for failing in his duty of care in relation to the lawful disposal of commercial waste.
Mr Burrows was paid £50 for three days work in clearing waste from the rear garden of a domestic property in Pewsey, despite having no driving licence and driving an uninsured vehicle.
This included a sofa which was later found dumped on Woodborough Road in the town.
This was traced back to a householder who were able to assist police and identify Mr Burrows as the culprit.
When questioned, he tried to claim the sofa had fallen out the back of his Volkswagen Golf without him realising, however this excuse was not accepted.
In addition to dumping the sofa, Mr Burrows could not produce the waste transfer notes for any of the other waste that was removed from the property.
The vehicle he used to remove the waste was seized and crushed by Wiltshire Police for being driven without a driving licence and insurance.
Fly-tipping costs Wiltshire Council £180,000 a year.
Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport and Waste, said:
"This is our third successful fly-tipping prosecution in the last few weeks - another fantastic result that emphasises our commitment to fighting back against fly-tipping in Wiltshire.
"This sends a clear message to anyone thinking of dumping waste in Wiltshire that your actions will not be tolerated.
"People should be very wary about paying people to clear their rubbish, especially at a price that is far below the actual costs of clearing and lawfully disposing of the waste. Always check the waste carriers licence credentials of anyone who clears waste, and make a note of any vehicle registration numbers - as this will assist the council in tracing fly-tippers should the waste be dumped.
"We will fine or prosecute anyone who is caught dumping rubbish illegally within Wiltshire."
Residents can report fly tipping online by visiting the Wiltshire Council website or by calling 0300 456 0100.