Residents tipped off Malvern Hills District Council about a large amount of rubbish that had been dumped in the countryside near a garden centre just outside of Worcester. When council officers investigated, they reckoned that the waste, which included carpets, old furniture and papers, would have filled a tipper lorry.
The officers were able trace the rubbish to a Bromsgrove based company, Home and Gardens 4 U Limited. One of the company’s workers admitted that a house clearance had been carried out at a residential property in Worcester. Disposal of waste had been sub-contracted to another company, but Home and Gardens 4 U were unable to provide any information about it.
Company proprietor Michael Steven Burford (33) of Austin Road, Bromsgrove, was charged with failing in his duty of care in contravention of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Burford appeared at Worcester Magistrates’ Court in April 2017 and pleaded guilty to the charge. As well as a fine of £300, Burford had to pay £1,000 to Malvern Hills District Council towards its costs of clearing up the rubbish.
Malvern Hills District Council’s portfolio holder for environment, Councillor Bronwen Behan, said, “Fly-tipping is not a harmless crime. It costs the taxpayer and landowners money to deal with, inconveniences the public and in some cases can be dangerous. Where we find evidence we will always prosecute. We can all play our part in helping to combat fly-tipping by ensuring we use properly licensed traders to dispose of our waste.”