Four men fined for flytipping furniture, mattresses and old doors in Wakefield, Castleford and Horbury

Following investigations by Wakefield Council three court cases – which all took place in December at Huddersfield Magistrates’ Court – involved four separate incidents where people had dumped household items and garden waste illegally within the district.

In two cases, men acted alone, and in the third case two men worked together to twice carry out fly-tipping.

Areas that were affected by fly tipping were Forge Lane, in Horbury where mattresses were dumped, Meadow Lane, Wakefield where a large amount of tree cuttings were unloaded and household waste such as old doors, furniture, mattresses and black bags were also dumped in Express Way, Castleford and Park Lane, Methley.

The three court cases resulted in fines, court and compensation costs for the defendants adding up to more than £3,000.

One man also received a community order requiring him to do 15 days of community service. Another man lost his driving licence for three months.

The prosecutions were made possible with evidence that Wakefield Council put before the courts.

Coun Maureen Cummings, cabinet member for environment, communities and poverty at Wakefield Council, said: “We will never tolerate fly-tipping in our district. It is a blight in our communities and we will do everything we can to hold those responsible to account.

"Residents are also reminded they must ensure anyone who takes away their household or garden items is a registered waste carrier. If the waste is fly tipped the resident could face either a fixed-penalty fine of £250 or up to £5,000 if it goes to court.

“As these four men have discovered – we take these offences very seriously and we will and do take action, including taking people to court, where they face heavy penalties if convicted.”

Residents can help in the fight against fly-tipping by remembering three simple steps: ‘Ask, Record, Keep’. when hiring someone to dispose of waste: