Here's how to avoid falling victim to a fly tipping scam

David Newson, 41, of Churchway, Haddenham, pleaded guilty at Wycombe Magistrates’ Court to failing in his household duty of care to properly dispose of waste.

Here's a link to our original story: https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/haddenham-man-hit-with-bill-approaching-2-000-after-using-unauthorised-waste-carrier-1-8685771The court heard that on 19 February 2018, three sacks were found dumped off North Lee Lane, Terrick, near Aylesbury.

On 9 March 2018, he voluntarily attended an interview in Aylesbury. During the interview, he explained that he had found a 'man with a van' online and arranged collection of the waste from his house for a payment of £25. He admitted that he made no checks as to whether the man was registered as an authorised waste carrier.

The failure to make any checks on the illegal carrier meant that Newson had failed in his duty of care under the law. He must pay a total to pay of £1,568.56.

Regional Director of the CLA, Robin Edwards said: “This case really highlights the importance of residents and householders only using registered individuals and companies to remove their waste.

“It’s easy to visit the Environment Agency website and check the waste licence that the carrier should be able to provide you, to check they’re not using a fake one. And they should be able to provide you with a certificate to show where the waste has been sent to.

“It’s worth paying for waste removal online if possible, as you then have a record that you’ve made the payment, rather than cash which is harder to trace if something does go wrong.”

Anyone who sees people dumping items or acting suspiciously should report it, either through the 101 service or to your local authority.

Many areas are enduring rising numbers of fly-tipping incidents. For example, incidents in Aylesbury Vale grew by 120 per cent from 357 in 2015/16 to 785 in 2016/17. The CLA believes the real overall totals are considerably higher than these official figures, as many incidents go unrecorded and unreported.

Buckinghamshire has one of the strongest records in the country for prosecutions relating to fly-tipping.

The Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire launched its S.C.R.A.P. Flytipping campaign in August 2018. Since November 2003, the Waste Partnership has secured over 660 fly-tipping convictions.