Fly-tipping leaves Hatfield builder with a bill for £1,780
A builder whose waste ended up illegally dumped at The Holloway, Drayton Beauchamp, Buckinghamshire after he asked a third party to dispose of it, now faces a £1,780 court bill.
Viorel Gagiu (36) from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty at Wycombe Magistrates Court last week (13 May) for failing in his business duty of care in the removal of waste from his place of work.
The court heard how on 24 November 2014, a significant quantity of waste packaging, used and new carpet and building waste was found by Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire enforcement officers dumped in a lay-by at Drayton Beachamp.
The waste was later traced to Heyford Way, Hatfield, where it was established that Mr Gagiu had been contracted to carry out some internal alterations and dispose of the waste generated.
During interview, Mr Gagiu admitted that he had employed a man he did not know to dispose of the waste for him, and that he had failed in his duty of care in relation to the transfer of the waste.
Magistrates fined Mr Gagiu a total of £900 and ordered him to pay clean-up and prosecution costs of £790. A victim surcharge of £90 was also levied, making a total to pay of £1,780.
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 October 2003 to combat illegal dumping and waste management offences in Buckinghamshire. Since then, the Partnership has secured 478 convictions against individuals and companies for illegal dumping and related offences. On average, there is at least one conviction per week for illegal dumping offences in Buckinghamshire. This has resulted in a halving of reported incidents and a saving of over £1 million for residents.
We’ve made reporting fly-tipping easy: upload details including location and photos online or on your mobile at www.buckscc.gov.uk/fly