Dewsbury man hit with maximum fine for not clearing waste from site that attracted flytippers and rats

Tahir Zaman, 49, of Heckmondwike Road owns the land on Caulms Wood Road where the rubbish has generated community complaints to Kirklees Council going back to June 2019.

Kirklees Council said the land had become a magnet for fly-tipping and litter. It’s understood fly-tippers have used the land to dump an estimated two tonnes of waste including larger items like fridges and mattresses.

As well as being unsightly for the local community, the build-up of waste has attracted rats and other pests. The council estimates it would cost around £2,000 to remove the rubbish.

Council officers investigated the reports to identify who owned the land where the rubbish was dumped and made several attempts to contact Zaman with requests to clear it.

The council also offered advice on how to prevent fly-tipping from happening again such as installing a fit-for-purpose boundary fence.

Following the lack of substantial action to remove the rubbish a community protection notice was served on Zaman on 28 June 19 with requirements to remove the waste by 26 July 2019.

The rubbish still remained despite the council giving him more time to remove it so court proceedings were started on 12 August 2019.

Despite the Covid pandemic delaying these proceedings Zaman has now been found to have breached the community protection notice to prevent unreasonable behaviour that is having a negative impact on the local community’s quality of life.

Zaman was not present to hear the verdict at the hearing at Kirklees Magistrates Court on 18 January.

He received the maximum fine for the offence of £2,500 plus £900 costs.

Councillor Naheed Mather, Cabinet Member for Environment said: “I’m pleased the courts have taken positive action which should deter other landowners from thinking they don’t have a responsibility to maintain their land and can leave places looking like a tip.

"However, most land owners are responsible. They look after their land and take action to prevent events like fly-tipping from happening, or report it to us should it happen.

"Our officers will always work with land owners to provide advice and find solutions where ever possible, but we must take action when things aren’t forthcoming for the benefit and safety of the whole community.

"I’d like to thank those who reported this occurrence to us and hope that the owner will now take swift action to remove the waste.

"Sadly a minority of people who fly-tip ruin it for everyone. They turned this piece of land into a rubbish dump which is an unsightly blight on the local community and attracts pests.

"I’d also like to remind people that fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence for which you can be prosecuted. The courts have various powers available to them including imprisonment, unlimited fines and an order to deprive rights to a vehicle used to commit the offence.”