This is the moment a brazen fly-tipper in a brightly-coloured Hawaiian shirt was caught dumping rubbish near a busy Tameside road. Charles Sutcliffe took money to remove waste on behalf of others, Tameside Magistrates Court heard.
Sutcliffe used his recently deceased wife's mobility vehicle to dump the waste and carried out the offence in an attempt to pay off debts. But after being tipped off by members of the community, he was rumbled by Tameside Council.
On March 7 last year, Sutcliffe dumped a sofa on June Street, Ashton - just metres away from the bustle of the A635 between Tameside and Manchester. A week later, on March 14, he dumped a single bed and builders’ waste on the same site.
Sutcliffe then fly-tipped a gaming chair on Bennett Street in Newton, Hyde, last May 15 - before returning to June Street to dump more building waste on August 12. Following an investigation by Tameside Council's enforcement officers, Sutcliffe was taken to court.
Sutcliffe, of Southfield Close, Dukinfield, pleaded guilty to four counts of fly-tipping at Tameside Magistrates’ Court on Monday (May 9). Magistrates ordered him to pay a total £1,365.54 - including a fine of £320, a victim surcharge of £34 and Tameside Council’s clean up costs of £1,011.54.
A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “We’re pleased to see this successful result in court and would like to thank the members of the public who passed on information about the offence to us so we could investigate. There is no excuse for fly-tipping.
"Fly-tipping is illegal, unacceptable and disrespectful to the local community and environment. We have officers out every day investigating fly-tipping and will always take action against the offenders where we find sufficient evidence.
“If waste is fly-tipped, by you or by someone else on your behalf, you could face an unlimited fine and a criminal record. It is a legal requirement that householders check their waste is being disposed of legally and responsibly and they should beware of ‘man in a van’ type services often seen on social media which may not be registered and responsible waste carriers."
Anyone who asks a third party to dispose of waste should ask to see their certificate to prove they are registered and ask for a receipt to confirm where the waste has been disposed, as well as payment details. Details of registered waste carriers can be found on the Environment Agency public register, while more information about fly-tipping in Tameside can be found on the council's website.
