More court fines for Northampton fly-tippers

People dumping their waste on streets and a carpark in Northampton, were fined a total of nearly £5,000 by Magistrates this week.

At Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 20 December the following people were issued fines in their absence:

• 22-year-old Exauce Kuri of Bailiff Street, Northampton was fined £250 and ordered to pay costs of £750 and a £34 victim surcharge after he was found guilty of dumping a large amount of waste on the corner of Bailiff Street and Lorne Road which was found by West Northants Council (WNC) Neighbourhood Wardens on Thursday, 30 June.
• 28-year-old Dana Paltere of York Road was fined £73 and ordered to pay £250 costs and a victim surcharge of £29 after she was found guilty of dumping refuse bags by a footpath at the back of the Abington Place Carpark which wardens discovered on Monday, 20 June.
• 23-year-old Chloe Page of Semilong Road was fined £250 and ordered to pay costs of £750 and a victim surcharge of £100 after previously pleading guilty to dumping refuse on the street in front of her house two days before the collection day.

In all cases the defendants had been offered the opportunity to resolve the matter with a £150 Fixed Penalty Fine but either ignored the notice or failed to pay.

"The vast majority of people make the effort to dispose of their waste properly.

"However, a minority of people choose to dump waste on our streets, we are determined to stamp out this environmental crime and should people not abide by the rules they should not be surprised to receive a fixed penalty notice or fine through the door.

"If they do not pay the fine, they could face prosecution for the offence."Cllr David Smith, WNC’s Cabinet Member for community safety and engagement and regulatory services.

This month WNC launched its Fly-tipping Charter setting out how the council will work to tackle environmental crime.

It outlines the Council’s commitment to working with local communities to reduce fly-tipping, backed by a robust enforcement policy to discourage and prosecute offenders.

The Charter includes a detailed plan of action including targeted patrols, the use of CCTV, and working with residents, businesses, and town and parish councils to avoid fly-tipping and gather intelligence to prosecute.

It also sets out how the Council will communicate with businesses, landlords and householders to ensure they are clear on their responsibilities towards managing their waste responsibly.

The new Fly-Tipping Charter complements the existing Litter Charter, which was launched last summer to ensure the Council takes a coordinated approach to tackling litter across West Northants.