A County Durham woman whose name was on boxes which had been fly tipped has been convicted in court of failing to assist with an investigation.
A pile of waste, which included cardboard boxes and plastic bags, were dumped in a back alley of Bouch Street in Shildon, on January 31 this year. Among the rubbish were boxes which contained Rosie Hutchinson's name and her address.
Durham County Council officers visited the 31-year-old at her home on February 2. Hutchinson, of Dale Grove, Shildon, stated that the rubbish did belong to her but it had been taken away by someone else.
Read more: County Durham men fined for fly-tipping after failing to attend interview
When she failed to provide details of the person who had taken away the rubbish, she was issued with a Section 108 Environment Act Notice. The notice, which was imposed on February 15, required her to attend an interview to assist the officer in his investigation.
However Hutchinson failed to attend the interview, despite being sent a reminder, and was charged with failing to assist a fly-tipping investigation.
She was found guilty in her absence during a hearing at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court in Peterlee, County Durham. Magistrates fined her £50 and ordered her to pay £470.80 in costs. She was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £34.
The waste was identified and photographed by a council officer. The local authority's neighbourhood warden team launched an investigation after being notified by the worker.
Ian Hoult, the council’s neighbourhood protection manager at Durham County Council, said: "There is simply no excuse for fly-tipping, with various ways of disposing of waste safely and responsibly available to the public. We investigate all instances of waste being illegally dumped, so it is important that people assist us in these matters so that we can take action against those responsible."
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