London man fined for waste found in Cambridgeshire

Fly-tipping is illegal, harmful to the environment and unfair to communities, said South Cambridgeshire councillor Natalie Warren-Green

A man from London whose rubbish was found fly-tipped more than 50 miles (80km) away in rural Cambridgeshire has been fined £5,000.

The waste, including a Christmas tree, toys and black bin bags, was dumped in a ditch near Caxton last November, said South Cambridgeshire District Council.

Dritan Bebri, 56, of Whitefriars Avenue, Harrow, was found guilty of an offence under the Environmental Protection Act at Willesden Magistrates' Court earlier this month.

Natalie Warren-Green, the council's lead cabinet member for the environment, said fly-tipping would "not be tolerated" in the county.

Council officers photographed the dumped items near the Caxton bypass before tracing them to Bebri.

The council said he denied wrongdoing, but as he could not give a valid reason why rubbish linked to him had been found an hour-and-a-half's drive from his home, it was decided to prosecute him.

Bebri was found guilty of failing to take all measures available to secure that a transfer of household waste produced on the property was to an authorised person, contrary to section 34(2A) and (6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

He was fined £5,000, ordered pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and pay full costs of £2,005.40.

Peter Sandford, Liberal Democrat district councillor for Caxton and Papworth, said he was "appalled" that rubbish from London would end up in "beautiful south Cambridgeshire".

"I commend the environmental health team for their excellent detective work," he said.

Warren-Green, Liberal Democrat, added: "We believe this is the first time one of our fly-tipping cases has been heard in a London court and it is a large sum of money he has been ordered to pay.

"Everyone has a legal duty to dispose of waste responsibly.

"Whether it's garden clippings, old furniture, or DIY rubble, we urge residents to make sure it's handled the right way by licensed professionals."

The district council gave the following advice:

• Only use authorised waste collectors - always check they are registered with the Environment Agency

• Get paperwork - make sure there is a written record of what the waste is and where it is going

• Keep your waste secure - don't leave it where it could be tampered with or fly-tipped