A serial fly-tipper has been given a community order and fined over £1000 for blighting the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Mr Jeremy Boyes, who is aged 55 from Penrhiwceiber was caught red handed on a number of occasions when he decided to fly-tip items near to where he lived.
Mr Boyes turned a local beauty spot in to a fly tipping hot spot and continued to use the area to get rid of his unwanted waste! The prime location was less than half-a-mile from his home along the road between Llanwonno Road, Perthcelyn and Mill Road, Ynysybwl – known locally as the JamPot.
The area became of interest to the Council’s Enforcement team, after a large number of items were dumped on two occasions – the items included a number of tonne builders sacks, containing car tyres, tumble dryer plastic parts, bicycle tyres, a motor bike tyre, cardboard box, fridge freezer drawers, garden lounger cushion, window blinds, a purple rug scooter plastic wheels and timber.
Due to the ongoing issues with fly tipping in the area a covert trail camera was deployed to help catch the offender red handed.
Thanks to this covert camera, the team were ready for Mr Boyes, when he decided to strike again and dump white plastic guttering, broken up cupboard furniture, plastic tumble dryer/washing machine parts, blue plastic storage boxes, white plastic patio chairs, a blue wooden pallet, a wooden folded dining table, white plastic boards and white buckets. However, Mr Boyes didn’t stop there and just a month later the Enforcement team came across even more fly tipping on the same embankment. The waste had been set fire to and consisted of plastic tumble dryer/washing machine parts, burnt remains of tyres and timber. After looking at the covert camera it was clear to see that it was the same vehicle that was responsible – A male driver can be seen exiting a vehicle and urinated against the van, he then looks up and down the road before starting to unload waste from the back of the tipper van.
The driver, now known to be Mr Boyes can be seen dragging a builder’s tonne sack full of waste onto the banking from the rear of the vehicle. The driver is then seen walking back towards the driver’s door of the van, he is now carrying a petrol can which he places in the front of the vehicle
The van can then be seen driving away, showing a fire burning in the background.
After carrying out various investigation the footage led the Enforcement team to contact Mr Boyes and invite him to be interviewed under the Codes of Practice of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. in relation to the incidents. Following the interview a decision was made to prepare a prosecution file against Mr Jeremy Boyes for fly tipping and committing an offence under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 sets out the offence of fly-tipping: namely the “Prohibition on unauthorised or harmful deposit, treatment or disposal etc. of waste.” Anyone failing to adhere to this could face a hefty fine, as this fly-tipper discovered!
Mr Boyes appeared in front of Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to two incidents of fly-tipping.
Mr Boyes was issued with a 12-month Community Order – 80 hours unpaid work, ordered to pay costs of £1,003.02 and a victim surcharge of £114 – a total of £1,117.02.
A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf said:
“Fly-tipping will not be tolerated, EVER. There is NEVER an excuse to blight our towns, streets and villages with waste, and we will find those responsible and hold them to account.
“As this case highlights, we investigate ALL fly-tipping reports and will uncover all the details as this offender found out.
“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.”
