A fly-tipper who was snared at passport control before jetting off to the sun has now been fined in the courts. Craig McCullough, from Wythenshawe, advertised himself on social media as a man with a van who would collect people's rubbish from their homes and dispose of it correctly, but instead he would dump it in a farmer's field.
The 34-year-old picked up the rubbish from an address in Macclesfield and dumped it in the field in Ashley, Cheshire, on May 16 last year after having been paid by someone to dispose of it legally. CCTV footage captured the van ramming into and damaging a wooden fence in the act, with police discovering it was registered to him.
Despite this he managed to evade cops for some time. This was until he was caught by Border Force officials as he attempted to board a plane.
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McCullough from Nettlebarn Road, Wythenshawe appeared at Crewe Magistrates on 30 December 2022 where he admitted criminal damage, causing the deposit of controlled waste on land without a permit and being the unregistered carrier of controlled waste in the course of business for profit. He was fined £576 and ordered to pay £4520 in compensation, as well as £120 in court costs, and £50 victim surcharge.
PC Jim Clark, of Cheshire Constabulary’s Rural Crime Team, said: "Instead of disposing of the waste correctly and despite having no relevant licence, he took the waste off the unsuspecting resident. He reversed onto a farmer’s field, repeatedly smashing the gates to gain access causing thousands of pounds of damage, before dumping the waste.
"We gathered our evidence and brought him before the courts to ensure justice was done. I hope this goes to show that we do take rural crime seriously and that this sends a message to fly-tippers that this is not a crime you can get away with here in Cheshire.
"The blight of fly-tipping has a huge social and environmental impact on both our countryside and wildlife. We will continue to proactively work to identify and prosecute those involved in waste crime."
PC Clark added: “Anyone who is looking to get rid of waste should always be wary and make sure that the person offering to take your waste has the relevant licence - otherwise the trail could come back to you, and you could end up being held responsible and face a fine.”
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