A Calne man has been prosecuted after dumping waste on a public footpath in the town.
On Monday 18th March 2024, Wiltshire County Council received two reports that open carrier bags filled with household waste had been dumped on a public footpath near The Green. Checks showed the location is a fly-tipping hotspot, with six fly-tipping reports made to the council in this location in 2024 and 11 since April 2023.
The council traced the waste back to Mr Simon Hope of London Road, Calne and after further investigations he was issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice (FPN) for fly-tipping. He failed to pay his FPN, and he was therefore prosecuted by the council. The offence took place prior to 23rd April 2024, when the council's new £1,000 FPN for fly-tipping was introduced.
Mr Hope was ordered to pay £1,503.36 in fines, costs and compensation after pleading guilty to fly-tipping during a hearing at Swindon Magistrates Court on Friday 27th August.
Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways and Street Scene, said: We are committed to tackling fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and as part of our Business Plan commitment and our award-winning We're Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign, we have invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling environmental crime.
This investment has so far seen a 125% increase in fly-tipping prosecutions and a 118% increase in fixed penalty notices in the past year, which shows that we will take all legal options available to us wherever we find fly-tipping.
The fines serve as a clear warning that illegal waste disposal will not be tolerated, and offenders will face serious consequences. In this case, Mr Hope could have avoided court action by paying the fixed penalty notice but he failed to do so, and he ended up in court instead.
This area in Calne has become a hotspot for fly-tipping, with six reports made over the last year by residents. Anyone who spots fly-tipping at this or any other location in Wiltshire should report it to us and we will investigate and take action.
Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities, and our message is clear - we will take action to tackle environmental crime in Wiltshire.
To report fly-tipping and to find out more about the council's WTF campaign, people should go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping
Want to know what’s on in Calne? Visit our local events page for listings and to find out how to add your own events for free. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.Have you got a story for us? Email editor@calnenews.com or contact us here.
Want to know what’s on in Calne? Visit our local events page for listings and to find out how to add your own events for free. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.Have you got a story for us? Email editor@calnenews.com or contact us here.
