Hemel man fined for fly-tipping after address found in dumped rubbish

Dacorum Borough Council successfully prosecuted a Hemel man for a fly-tipping offence after finding his address in the dumped rubbish.

Dumitru Dragomir, of Botley Road, Hemel Hempstead, pleaded guilty at St Albans Magistrates’ and was ordered to pay a fine of £200 and costs of £552.84.

The Court heard on Wednesday 1 March, that in August 2022 a Council Environmental Enforcement Officer inspected a fly-tipping report of a box and sacks dumped in a passing place along Holtsmere End Lane, Hemel Hempstead.

Within the waste, correspondence was found including Dragomir's address. He was issued with a £312 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) by the Council for failing to demonstrate householder duty of care responsibilities when disposing of the domestic waste. The FPN was not paid so the council was then obliged to seek prosecution for the offence under S.34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Pleading guilty, Dragomir said that he had arranged for someone else to dispose of the waste but it was not intended for this to be disposed of unlawfully.

Cllr Julie Banks, Portfolio Holder for Communities, said: “We need people to understand that their waste is their responsibility. Anyone offering to take it away has to be registered to carry waste, or it could end up fly-tipped, and you could be prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent it. If you see fly-tipping, please report it via our online reporting tool by visiting www.dacorum.gov.uk/flytipping.”

Dacorum Borough Council is part of the The Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group (HFTG). This is a multi-agency taskforce including the borough, district and county councils as well as Hertfordshire Constabulary, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Herts Fire and Rescue, the Environment Agency and the National Farmers' Union.

These organisations have come together to improve how Hertfordshire responds to fly-tipping. The HFTG is delivering improvements in enforcement capability across the county, as well as rolling out new technology to assist in identifying and prosecuting fly-tippers.

The HFTG is also behind the award-winning #SCRAPflytipping campaign, which is used across Hertfordshire to help educate residents, and has been provided to other local authorities across the UK (free of charge) to help promote a consistent message.

For more information visit the website.