Advert on Facebook led to fly-tipping prosecution

An example of the kind of fly-tipped waste by a roadside that councils have to clear up.

Barry James, 40, of Portland Street, thought he was acting within the law when he responded to an advert on Facebook and paid a man £40 in cash to take 12 bags of household waste and other items.

But he didn’t check if the trader had a commercial waste operator’s licence. Nor did he ask for a receipt and take details of the vehicles used. So when the rubbish was found illegally dumped in Newlands Way, Forest Town, he was the person who had to carry the can after it was traced back to him.

James was duly prosecuted by Mansfield District Council and ordered to pay a total of £302.28 in fines, costs and compensation at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court under the Environmental Protection Act.

In a separate case, Mihaela Munteanu, 30, of The Knoll, Mansfield, was ordered to pay £360 after household waste, clothes, flooring, compost, underlay and a carpet, found fly-tipped on Peafield Lane, Mansfield, were linked to her. She said she had paid a scrap man £20 to get rid of her rubbish.

A council spokeswoman said: “Residents must be wary of using someone else to dispose of waste cheaply. Always check they have a waste carrier’s licence.”