Mother fined for fly-tipping

A mother-of-two who dumped old toys, clothes and rotting food over her garden fence in Bilston was caught after officials found a letter addressed to her among the waste.

Sarah Vickers, aged 25, of Lunt Place, is the latest fly-tipper to be prosecuted for blighting public land in a menace that costs Wolverhampton city taxpayers more than half a million pounds every year to clean up.

Jacky Bramley, prosecuting on behalf of the city council, told Wolverhampton magistrates that its officers had been alerted to rubbish at the back of Vickers' house.

An officer found several black bags containing rotting food, clothing, and toys. Vickers said she had thrown that rubbish on to the land, but denied being responsible for dumping a vaccum cleaner and a cot.

Vickers, who has a five-year-old boy and a girl of three, admitted fly-tipping and was ordered to pay £201 in compensation and a £100 fine.

She failed to attend an earlier hearing, saying she had received no notification.

Caroline Amos, defending, claimed the first she knew about the proceedings was when a friend phoned her to say there was a small item in the Express & Star which gave her name.

Immediately, she got in touch with the authorities.

Mrs Amos said: "She had no idea just how serious a matter his can be. Her property backs on to wasteground and she hadn't been able to take her excess rubbish to the tip.

"The binmen weren't inclined to take each and every sack."

Chairman of the bench Paul Clewley added: "Fly-tipping is very prevalent and very unpleasant."