A man from Arborfield has been fined £400 after he decided to fly-tip a computer desk and cardboard boxes. The incident took place in the Premier Convenience Store car park in South Lake Parade, Woodley, on 14 May 2022.
The council’s anti-social behaviour officer investigated and found an address on the cardboard box. The officer checked the CCTV security camera at the Premier store which recorded footage of a man fly-tipping these items and his vehicle registration.
Tracking down the perpetrator
The officer worked with Thames Valley Police to trace the vehicle registration licence to an address in Arborfield which also matched the address found on the cardboard box. The officer visited the address and confirmed the vehicle was kept and used by someone at this address. A Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) interview letter was sent out to the address and was completed by the registered keeper of the vehicle.
The perpetrator was interviewed and presented with the CCTV evidence. The man admitted fly-tipping and said he had visited the recycling centre but it was closed. He was issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice which has since been paid. The man cannot be named as he has paid the fixed penalty notice which discharges any further action. Failure to pay a fixed penalty notice would result in further action as the matter would be referred to court, which could result in a fine of up to £50,000 on conviction in a magistrate’s court or an unlimited fine if convicted in a crown court.
The council’s executive member for environment, sport and leisure Cllr Ian Shenton said: “This behaviour is unacceptable. The local Re3 recycling centres are open seven days a week and allow residents to book a slot in advance. It is irresponsible and illegal to dump unwanted items in this manner.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping and investigate all incidents. Anyone caught fly-tipping in our borough will be held accountable and fined accordingly. This man may have thought it was convenient to fly-tip these items but thanks to a nearby CCTV camera, we were able to successfully track him down and fine him.”
Dispose of unwanted items responsibly
Residents who need to dispose of unwanted items at their local recycling centre can check opening hours and book a tip slot on the Re3 website.
Alternatively, the council’s large, unwanted items service can be used. It costs £58.10 to collect up to five bulky items including carpets, garden and household furniture, appliances including washing machines, fridges and dishwashers, boxes or bags of household rubbish, televisions and computers.
Public: Information that can be seen and used by everyone inside and outside the Council.