South Shields man in court after double dumping waste at riverside spot

South Tyneside Council took legal action against Simon Cowell, of Taylor Street in South Shields, after cleansing staff carrying out their daily duties came across two substantial quantities of waste illegally abandoned within days of each other.

The heaps of rubbish were found in August 2019 on Slake Road, behind St Paul’s Monastery.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard identification found in the waste led investigating officers to two addresses in Gateshead, where residents claimed they had paid Cowell to dispose of several loads of waste.

Cowell accepted responsibility for the abandoned waste in an interview under caution.

The 44-year-old also admitted that he was not registered with the Environment Agency to operate and carry commercial waste.

He was prosecuted for two offences under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act and two offences under Section 1 of The Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 by carrying commercial waste without a waste carriers’ licence.

He pleaded guilty in a written submission to the court, in which he apologised and explained he had bought a cheap van to help him earn some money after a loss in his benefits.

He accepted he illegally emptied the contents of his van after learning that he could not dispose of other people’s waste at Middlefields Recycling Village with the household waste permits he had been using, and said he was not informed he needed a licence.

The case was determined in Cowell’s absence and he was ordered to pay £210 for each fly-tip as well as £100 costs and a victim surcharge of £32.

A council spokesperson said: “The council continues to work extremely hard in very difficult circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"There has been a real focus on protecting residents and keeping essential services running.

“This sort of reckless behaviour not only blights our communities but the significant cost of clearing up and investigating such incidents, places an additional burden on our already stretched resources.”

Flytipping can be reported to the council on (0191) 427 7000 and all calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Alternatively, it can be reported online via www.southtyneside.gov.uk/reportit.

A message from the editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Shields Gazette website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.