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Flytipping offender prosecuted
Published Wednesday 22nd June 11
Illegally dumping waste on allotment land has cost a Wellingborough man £665.
Michael Lavelle, of Newcomen Road, was found guilty last week of the flytipping offence and fined £250, plus £400 costs and a £15 surcharge.
He pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing but did not turn up for his trial, which was conducted in his absence. He was found guilty by Wellingborough Magistrates and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He appeared in court for sentencing on 16 June.
A load of ash, rubble and general waste was reported dumped at Ladywell allotments from a vehicle registered to Mr Lavelle in July 2010. When interviewed, Mr Lavelle claimed he had transported the material on behalf of a friend and said his friend had permission to deposit it on the land, but it was later proven that that there was no environmental permit authorising waste to be deposited there.
A few days before the offence was committed, Wellingborough Council had complaints from residents on Midland Road that their bins had been used to dispose of debris from a garden fire, and when the council spoke to the owner of the waste he admitted that he had taken the bins from surrounding properties and filled them with the debris. He was told the council would be unable to empty the bins as some were green recycling bins and he promised he would arrange for a friend with a van to dispose of the waste at the tip and then return the bins. His friend was Michael Lavelle and rather than taking the waste to the tip it was flytipped on the allotments instead.
With no evidence of who actually dumped the waste it was Mr Lavelle, as registered keeper of the van used, who was held responsible.
Peter Morrall, chairman of Wellingborough Council's community committee said: "There is no excuse for flytipping. People need to be aware that if waste is illegally dumped from a vehicle, the registered keeper can be prosecuted, even if it isn't their rubbish. Flytipping in Northamptonshire costs the taxpayer in excess of £650,000 a year to clear up and this prosecution shows that we will do whatever is needed to reduce that."