Wiltshire Council successfully prosecutes Calne man for fly-tipping

As part of its continued zero tolerance approach to tackling fly-tipping, Wiltshire Council has successfully prosecuted a Calne man after his waste was found dumped on a public footpath in the town.

Mr Simon Hope of London Road, Calne, was ordered to pay £1,503.36 in fines, costs and compensation after pleading guilty to fly-tipping during a hearing at Swindon Magistrates Court on Friday 27 August.

On Monday 18 March 2024, the council received two reports of fly-tipping on a public highway near The Green, Calne, that consisted of open carrier bags full of household waste. Checks showed the location is a fly-tipping hotspot, with six fly-tipping reports made to the council in this locations in 2024 and 11 since April 2023.

The council traced the waste back to Mr Hope, and after further investigations he was issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice (FPN) for fly-tipping. He failed to pay his FPN, and he was therefore prosecuted by the council. The offence took place prior to 23 April 2024, when the council's new £1,000 FPN for fly-tipping was introduced.

Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways and Street Scene, said: We are committed to tackling fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and as part of our Business Plan commitment and our award-winning We're Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign, we have invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling environmental crime.

This investment has so far seen a 125% increase in fly-tipping prosecutions and a 118% increase in fixed penalty notices in the past year, which shows that we will take all legal options available to us wherever we find fly-tipping.

The fines serve as a clear warning that illegal waste disposal will not be tolerated, and offenders will face serious consequences. In this case, Mr Hope could have avoided court action by paying the fixed penalty notice but he failed to do so, and he ended up in court instead.

This area in Calne has become a hotspot for fly-tipping, with six reports made over the last year by residents. Anyone who spots fly-tipping at this or any other location in Wiltshire should report it to us and we will investigate and take action.

Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities, and our message is clear - we will take action to tackle environmental crime in Wiltshire.

To report fly-tipping and to find out more about the council's WTF campaign, people should go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping