Castleford fly-tipper loses vehicle and receives suspended sentence after being caught dumping rubbish in Wakefield

Danny Clayton, 29, of School Street, Castleford, pleaded guilty to the offences at Kirklees Magistrates Court on February 6, following investigations by Wakefield Council officers and colleagues from Leeds City Council, who had an outstanding fly-tipping offence against him.

The fly-tipping in Wakefield occurred at Oakenshaw Lane in Walton, where a resident witnessed the waste being dumped.

Following a test purchase by council officers, they were led to more waste dumped at Wakefield Road in Oulton. The vehicles used in each offence are owned by Mr Clayton, who does not have a waste carriers’ licence.

In court, Clayton was sentenced to 39 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and awarded 300 hours of unpaid community work for the offences in both Wakefield and Leeds.

Wakefield Council were also successful in applying for the vehicle to be forfeited and a criminal behaviour order issued by the court.

The terms state that Mr Clayton must not collect carry, transport or deposit any waste in the course of his or any other business, use any vehicle as a passenger or driver to collect, carry or deposit waste as a business or advertise on social media or any other forms of advertising services to carry and dispose of waste.

Councillor Jack Hemingway, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “We are pleased with this result and hope it sends a clear message to anyone thinking about fly tipping in the Wakefield district – it will not be tolerated, and you stand to lose use of your vehicle and face criminal proceedings.

“We urge all residents to ensure that they are using registered waste collectors to get rid of their rubbish. Remember to always ask, record and keep information on anyone you are using to dispose of your waste.”

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates’ Court. The offence can attract an unlimited fine and up to 5 years imprisonment if convicted in a Crown Court.To find out more about the work Wakefield Council is doing to tackle environmental crime, visit www.wakefield.gov.uk/AskRecordKeep.