Fly-tipping: Leeds man fined and has his car seized after dumping rubbish in Heckmondwike

Kirklees Council’s greenspace action team was alerted by the public to the incident and was able to track down the offender from CCTV footage.

Richard Lawn, aged 40 and of The Heights in Leeds, had taken a payment of £230 from an unsuspecting resident to dispose of some household waste which included old flooring and packaging from new kitchen appliances.

But instead of disposing of it legally, he dumped it on Smithies Lane and Church Street in Heckmondwike.

Lawn attended Huddersfield Magistrates’ Court earlier this month and pleaded guilty to two offences under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act.

He was fined £1,400 and ordered to pay a £560 victim surcharge and clearance and legal costs of £1,269.

His Citroen Picasso was seized and disposed of by Kirklees Council.

Coun Aafaq Butt, cabinet member for the Environment at the council, said:“I hope that this prosecution will reinforce our zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping in Kirklees.

"Our communities should not be blighted by people who think they can dump waste on our streets and green spaces, to the detriment of residents, wildlife, and the environment.

“The Heckmondwike case highlights the importance of checking private companies who are collecting waste. They should be registered with the environment agency and have paperwork showing their full contact details and a description of the waste taken.

"It also helps if residents take the vehicle registration the waste carrier uses to help officers trace the waste if it ends up being fly-tipped.”