King's Lynn man fined after his waste was fly-tipped

Joshua Colman of Eastfields, King's Lynn, admitted failing to check the items would be disposed of by a properly-licensed carrier when he appeared before King's Lynn Magistrates.

The court heard two large rubble bags containing Colman's waste were dumped off Hall Lane, at Clenchwarton and one on Lodge Lane, at Castle Rising, last June.

David Lowens, prosecuting on behalf of West Norfolk Council, said they contained clothes, food packaging and other household debris.

Mr Lowens said Colman, 29, was traced after officials launched an investigation and found items addressed to him and his partner.

In an interview, Colman said he had given a man £200 to take away the waste while he was preparing for a house move, assuming he had somewhere to take it.

He told council investigators he did not have a name or any contact details for the man, who was driving a plain white van with no writing on it.

Council pictures of the fly-tipped waste (Image: BCKLWN)

George Sorrell, in mitigation for Colman, said he had admitted the offence at the first opportunity and had been "full and frank" with council officers.

"It will certainly never happen again," he said. "He's learned a bitter lesson from this."

Magistrates ordered Colman to pay £345 in compensation to cover the cost of removing the waste, along with £500 in costs, a £100 fine and a £40 court surcharge.

After the hearing Sandra Squire, the council's cabinet member for the environment, said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on our beautiful countryside.

“It is frustrating, too, as most of the waste that is dumped could have been taken to a tip free of charge. 

“As Mr Colman has learned today, it also isn’t good enough to pay a random person to get rid of it and hope for the best – householders have a legal duty to check who is taking their rubbish and how they will dispose of it."