£430 court bill for woman whose rubbish was dumped illegally in Immingham

An Immingham woman must pay a £430 court bill after items belonging to her were found among other rubbish at a fly-tipping hot spot.

Workers from North East Lincolnshire Council’s street cleansing team were called to clear a pile of fly-tipped waste from Mill Lane, Immingham, last August.

They found evidence linking some of the rubbish to Kealy Towler, 26, of Newark Walk, Immingham.

Her items were found amongst a pile of illegally dumped rubbish. The fly-tip included an armchair, a large teddy bear, carpet offcuts and more than 15 bags of household waste.

Towler was invited to attend an interview under caution and officers served her with a fixed penalty notice on 29 March. This was followed by a notice of intended prosecution on 2 May when she failed to pay the fixed penalty.

Towler pleaded guilty at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court on 25 August to one offence relating to householder duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 section 34.

She was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £150 and a victim surcharge of £80.

So far this year, the Council has received 23 reports of fly-tipping in Immingham. There were 44 in 2022 and 69 in 2021.

Cllr Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:

“If you fly-tip in North East Lincolnshire we will fine you. It costs the area’s taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds each year to clean up rubbish people have dumped illegally.

“If you are paying someone else to dispose of your waste, always check their credentials first.

“Unlicensed waste carriers are known to advertise their services on social media, offering to take away quantities of waste for a fee.

“Once they’ve been paid, some fly-tip the waste instead of correctly disposing of it. This often results in significant damage on the environment and can cost huge sums of tax payer money to collect and dispose of responsibly.

“The offender had the opportunity to pay a fixed penalty notice for the offences, but failed to do so and ended up in court.”

Duty of care

If you are paying someone to take your waste, you must check they are licensed to take it.

Check the register by calling the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 or visit https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers.

Always ask for identification and a receipt. You can be fined £300 if your waste is dumped unlawfully.

The Duty of Care applies to individuals and all commercial entities. This includes private sector businesses such as shops, offices, factories, and tradespersons (e.g. electricians, builders, glaziers and plumbers) and public sector services such as schools, hospitals and prisons, as well as charities and voluntary and community groups. It also includes permitted operations or exempt facilities that produce waste as part of their activities.

SCRAP campaign

North East Lincolnshire Council is part of the SCRAP campaign, a nationwide crackdown against fly-tipping.

The campaign reminds people to check their waste is being taken away for disposal by a licensed carrier – either by asking to see a Waste Carriers Licence or by looking up the company on the Environment Agency website.

SCRAP stands for:

Suspect ALL waste carriers

Check with the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 that the provider taking your waste away is licensed

Refuse unexpected offers to have waste taken away

Ask what will happen to your waste Paperwork should be obtained – get a full receipt.