Great Yarmouth man ordered to pay £750 for illegally dumping waste beside bins

Keith Copping, of Stephenson Close, was spotted pulling up in a van last year and dumping bedroom furniture on the ground next to communal bins where he lives.

Copping was subsequently interviewed under caution by Great Yarmouth Borough Council officers and said he was clearing out the bedroom furniture as a favour for his mother and admitted it was him who had dumped the waste.

He was subsequently issued with a fixed penalty notice but, despite repeated attempts to contact him, he failed to pay. As a result, he was prosecuted by the council for fly tipping under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act.

Appearing at Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court on March 14, Copping admitted the offence and was handed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £750 in costs.

Copping's solicitor said his client should receive credit for his early guilty plea and that he naively thought he was doing the right thing by leaving the waste by the bins.

A spokesperson for Great Yarmouth Borough Council said: ''Illegal dumping of waste in the borough is an issue which we are determined to address. The clean-up costs are significant and tax payers should not have to pick up the bill for those who refuse to dispose of rubbish properly.

''We know fly-tipping is something which our residents never want to see and although the vast majority of people take pride in their neighbourhoods, we will always seek to prosecute those who blight our community.''

''Court action such as this is a last resort, but it is important people get a clear message that fly tipping is never acceptable and waste must be disposed of correctly.''

Fly-tipping in Great Yarmouth borough can be reported via the Love Clean Streets app or website, via email at environmentalrangers@great-yarmouth.gov.uk or by calling 01493 846478.

Read more about waste and recycling services in Great Yarmouth here: https://www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling