A young mum has been hit with a £634 fly-tipping court bill despite her insistence that it was her ex, not her, who dumped the rubbish at a nearby beauty spot. Jade Grocott told North Staffordshire Justice Centre her former boyfriend carried out waste disposal and, unknown to her, he included her waste which would later be discovered at Parkhall Country Park in Stoke-on-Trent.
Anthony O'Dowd, prosecuting on behalf of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said enforcement officers were sent to the park after receiving an anonymous report of fly-tipping. Following an investigation, plastic sheeting with the address of Grocott was discovered, StokeonTrentlive reports.
The court heard council records were then checked and a £400 fixed penalty notice was issued on April 29 last year. The authority acknowledged that Grocott did not actually dump the waste but failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that the waste was disposed of correctly.
The mother-of-two, of High Street, Sandyford, pleaded guilty to being the occupier of a domestic property who failed to take measures to ensure the transfer of household waste was authorised.
The court determined that the dumped waste had a minor adverse effect on public health and handed Grocott a £200 fine. She must also pay a £34 victims surcharge and £400 costs to the council. This makes a total bill of £634 which will be paid back at £20 a month.
The latest court action represents another win for the authority in its crackdown against fly-tipping. It was recently announced that the council is preparing to recruit more enforcement officers and invest in more CCTV as part of a range of measures to stamp out the scourge.
