(Image: Wayne Routledge)
A FLY tipping incident that went viral after being caught on camera led to a man being given £2,000 worth of fines – Councillors have been told.
In June, CCTV footage was posted online that showed two fly tipping incidents on Sunwood Lane, off Cockin Lane in Clayton, within an hour.
At the time Bradford Council said it was investigating the incident.
At a meeting this week Councillors were told that the individual responsible has since been tracked down and ordered to pay two £1,000 fines – the maximum Bradford Council can fine people without taking them to court.
Members of the Bradford West Area Committee were given an update on recent environmental enforcement actions in the constituency when they met on Wednesday.
A report to members included a list of high profile cases dealt with by the Council in recent months.
One of these was the incident in Clayton, that has been featured in the Telegraph & Argus.
The report to members said: “A significant fly-tipping incident on Cockin Lane, Clayton attracted considerable public and media attention after CCTV footage captured by a local resident was shared widely on social media.
“The footage showed the same individual fly-tipping on two separate occasions on the same day.
“Following receipt of the footage, an Environmental Enforcement Officer acted quickly to investigate the incident, identify the vehicle and establish the identity of the person responsible.
“The individual was subsequently invited to attend a PACE interview, during which they admitted committing the fly-tipping offences contrary to Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
“The investigation resulted in the Council issuing two £1,000 higher-level Fixed Penalty Notices, one for each offence.
“Both £1,000 penalties were paid in full.
“This included the first £1,000 fly-tipping Fixed Penalty Notice to be paid following the introduction of the Council's higher penalty level.”
Amjad Ishaq, Environmental Services & Enforcement Manager, told members that because the crime was dealt with by a fine, he could not disclose details of the person behind the fly tipping.
He told members that fines were the Council’s preferred way of dealing with fly tippers, as taking people to court can be a lengthy and costly process – with no guarantee of a guilty verdict.
He said: “Prosecuting people is a long winded and expensive process. It can take months to get cases through the courts.”
Some fly tipping cases covered by the T&A have seen fly tippers ordered to pay less than the case has cost the taxpayer to bring to court.
Members were told the Council has issued seven £1,000 fines since the maximum level of fine was increased from £400 last September.
Of these, four have been paid.