Man fined more than £2,000 after throwing a petrol can in a bush

Christopher Reeves, 38, of Stokes Lane, Haddenham, Bucks, pleaded guilty at Milton Keynes Magistrates Court on 4 November 2016 to an offence of fly-tipping.

The court heard that on 2 June 2016 Mr Reeves was filmed by a fly-tipping surveillance camera as he deposited an empty fuel container in bushes at the roadside off Baghill Lane, Haddenham. Mr Reeves was traced through the vehicle registration number of the car he was driving.

When interviewed, Mr Reeves admitted dumping the container after refuelling his vehicle. He explained that the container was dirty and he didn’t want to put it back into the car.

The Magistrates fined Mr Reeves £1,400, and ordered clean-up and prosecution costs to be paid in the sum of £600. A victim surcharge of £140 was also levied – making a total to pay of £2,140.

Cllr Mike Smith, Chairman of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: “There is just no excuse for fly-tipping - you simply cannot use our public roads as a convenient place to leave your rubbish. The verges and hedges on our rural roads serve a valuable purpose, one of which is to provide a habitat for wildlife. This kind of irresponsible fly-tipping presents a significant hazard to animals, not to mention the inevitable clean-up costs. The public are our ears and eyes in our fight against fly-tipping and do a superb job in reporting incidents, which invariably result in fines and a criminal record.”

The case was prosecuted by Buckinghamshire County Council working on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire. The Waste Partnership launched the ‘Illegal Dumping Costs’ campaign in November 2003 to combat illegal dumping and waste management offences in Buckinghamshire.

Since that date the Partnership has secured 561 convictions against individuals and companies for illegal dumping and related offences. On average since April 2010, there has been at least one conviction per week for illegal dumping offences in Buckinghamshire. This has resulted in a halving of reported incidents and a significant saving to the Buckinghamshire taxpayer over the period, principally through reducing removal and disposal costs.

Reporting fly-tipping is now online and easier than ever: upload details including location and photos online or on your mobile at www.buckscc.gov.uk/fly