Bucks man receives £1,300 fine for dumping fly-tipped waste near Thame

A man from Princes Risborough has been ordered to pay a £1,300 fine after he admitted to dumping garden waste illegally near Thame.

South Oxfordshire District Council has credited a social media campaign from a grassroots litter picking group for discovering the culprit.

Henry Quilter-Wood, 31, of Main Road, Lacey Green, was sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday 12 August.

The 31-year-old admitted to four duty of care charges under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Thame Wombles submitted a complaint to the district council alerting it to a fly-tip next to the A418 ring road.

Litter pickers discovered abandoned waste which included a significant amount of soil and rubble.

Through social media Thame Wombles asked for anyone with information on the dumping to come forward.

One eagle-eyed resident identified the waste as coming from her property.

She had employed Quilter-Wood to carry out renovation work in her garden.

At the time he ran a business called Absolutely All Sorts and held a licence allowing him to transport waste.

Following the tip-off, the council’s Environment Officers interviewed the Princes Risborough man.

A council spokesperson said: “He confirmed that he had carried out the work but throughout the course of the investigation he maintained that the two people who were working with him had told him they’d taken the waste to the local recycling centre as instructed.

“However, he did not have the required documents showing where the waste had gone and refused to give the names of the two individuals. He therefore agreed to take responsibility for the fly-tipped waste.”

Councillor Sue Cooper added: “Acts of fly-tipping are a real blight on the landscape and it’s especially disappointing when someone who has the correct licence allows it to happen. If you are transporting waste, you must have proper measures in place, including a record of where it’s been taken, otherwise you are breaking the law and risk facing a penalty if it’s found fly-tipped.

“This case is a great example of how residents sharing information about fly-tips can help us to identify those responsible. We would encourage everyone to keep an eye out and to let us know as soon as possible if you spot a fly-tip or suspect someone is involved in dumping waste.”

Thame residents are advised to report suspected fly-tipping on the district council website here, or by calling 03000 610610.

The legality of rubbish removal work can also be checked on the local authority's website here.