South Shields man in court after double dumping waste at riverside spot
Detective work by environmental officers has led to a court fine of more than £500 for a man after they found he had double-dumped waste at a 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.