Fly-tipper who dumped waste across Wolverhampton ordered to carry out unpaid work
A fly-tipper who repeatedly dumped rubbish across an area of Wolverhampton has been ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work by a court.
John Sheridan admitted six counts of fly tipping at locations across Bushbury during a hearing at Dudley Magistrates Court on Wednesday, December 14.
Sheridan, of Broome Road, dumped household waste, furniture and building materials and was given a community order for twelve months with a requirement to carry out 150 hours unpaid work.
Magistrates also imposed a £95 victim surcharge and awarded the council costs of £3,000.
Sheridan used a white transit van to dump the rubbish in a variety of locations, including outside the London Midland Railway Club in Bushbury Lane, in Cross Street North, Showell Road, Coxwell Avenue and twice in Shaw Road.
He was taking money from people to remove their waste during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and first lockdown, with the items being dumped between April 9 and May 11 2020.
Sheridan was caught through a combination of Wolverhampton Council CCTV, private security cameras and witnesses.
Once the registration plate of the transit van was identified, officers from the council’s Environmental Crimes team were able to find a registered address and seize the vehicle, which was fully laden with waste.
The council has recently launched a crackdown on fly tippers and those who thoughtlessly dump their rubbish will see their images shared on lampposts to appeal for information to help identify the culprits.
Fly-tipping costs taxpayers more than £260,000 per year in Wolverhampton and officers attend an average of 12 fly tips every day, ranging from individual items to large scale fly tipping.
The costs awarded to the council in this case will be reinvested back into the Environmental Crime service, helping to bring people to justice who fail to dispose of their waste correctly.
Councillor Steve Evans, cabinet member for city environment and climate change at Wolverhampton Council, said: “Fly tipping has always been a priority for the council and one that we continually work hard to tackle.
“We know it’s a national issue, but we also know how it makes local people feel when others thoughtlessly dump dirty rubbish in areas where they live and work.
“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to bring this case to court and that there has been such a positive outcome.
"In addition, with the launch of our new crackdown, we are sending a strong message to fly tippers.
“We will take all the necessary measures to stop this criminal behaviour and keep Wolverhampton and its local neighbourhoods and streets clean and attractive.”
