A man who was using the pavement outside his house as his own personal skip has been fined over £2100.
Mr Daniel Morgan from Sunnybank Street, Aberaman, Aberdare was using the public highway outside his terraced house as a tipping store for his waste removal business.
Mr Morgan, trading as Dan’s Disposable Services was being paid to dispose of items in good faith but was instead dropping them off on his own doorstep for long periods of time, until the items were protruding on to the public road. The items included a three-piece-sofa, kitchen work tops, piles of tyres and window and door frames.
The Council’s Enforcement team received a complaint and attended the property in April 2024 and discovered that the items took up the full length of the property and made the public footpath completely impassable. The large items were stacked and likely to fall, which could cause significant injury to members of the public.
Mr Morgan, who admitted the waste had come from the property was advised by the Council’s Enforcement Officer that the waste had to be removed immediately, and no waste could be stored on the highway. Mr Morgan was also informed that a Community Protection Warning would be issued if the problem continued.
A few weeks later a further complaint was received by the Council’s Enforcement team, stating that the issues were very much still on-going and needed to be dealt with. When the officers attended, they could see that Mr Morgan was continuing to use the public highway as a dumping ground for unsecured waste.
A warning letter was handed to Mr Morgan and contained a list of requirements that needed to be followed and he was advised that if he failed to comply with the requirements and the behaviour continues to have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of others, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council will consider serving him with a Community Protection Notice.
A third complaint was then received, and the Enforcement Officer once again visited the property and upon arrival, came across large piles of waste outside both No 12 and No 16 Sunnybank Street. The waste on the pavement outside consisted of 2 panes of glass, a mirror, a builders tonne sack full of waste, 2 worktops, a broken-up sofa frame and springs, cushioned seating and a plastic patio chair.
Mr Morgan had ignored the initial advice from the Council and the warning letter and left the Enforcement team with no other alternative but to issue him with a Community Protection Notice (CPN). The Notice was hand delivered by a Streetcare Enforcement Officer.
A Community Protection Notice (CPN) is aimed to prevent unreasonable behaviour that is having a negative impact on the local community’s quality of life.
Any person aged 16 years or over can be issued with a notice, whether it is an individual or a business, and it will require the behaviour to stop and if necessary reasonable steps to be taken to ensure it is not repeated in the future.
Just 10 days later a further complaint was received and the Enforcement team once again found that Mr Morgan had failed to remove the items and was continuing to use the public footpath as his personal skip. Literally blighting the doorstep where he lived and having a huge detrimental effect on his neighbours and wider community.
Mr Morgan was issued with a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) and ordered to remove the items and comply with the CPN or further action would be taken.
Over the next three months a further three complaints were received and investigated by the Enforcement team and THREE further FPNs were issued – bringing it to FOUR FPN’s, each at £100, now totaling £400.
After Mr Morgan failed to make the payments and or clear the items the Council had no choice but to refer the matter to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court.
Mr Morgan attended Court in January 2025 and pleaded not guilty to the charges and was given a trial date in March. Mr Morgan failed to attend on the date and it was rescheduled. Mr Morgan once again failed to attend and the case was tried in his absence.
Mr Morgan was handed a £250 FINE for each of the 4 £100 FPN’s (£1000), £770 Costs and £400 Victim Surcharge, totalling £2170.
Councillor Ann Crimmings, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure said:
“Fly-tipping will not be tolerated, EVER. There is NEVER an excuse to blight our public highways, towns, streets and villages with waste, and we will find those responsible and hold them to account.
“We didn’t have to travel far to find the offender in this case as he chose to literally mess on his own doorstep and ruin the street for his neighbours and wider community. Despite a number of warnings, Mr Morgan chose to continue using the public highway as his own personal skip. Not only were the items unsightly, but they were unsecured and dangerous to the public. Mr Morgan has now walked away with a substantial fine and a criminal record from the court.
“Removal of fly-tipping costs hundreds of thousands of pounds each year, which should be spent on key front-line services at a time when budgets are under significant pressures.
“We will use EVERY power available to us to hold those accountable for their actions. Many of the items we recover on our streets, towns and mountains could have been taken to a Community Recycling Centre or collected from the kerbside at no extra cost.”
