Man fined after dumping pile of rubbish on graves

Piles of rubbish were found spread across graves in the grounds of Holy Trinity Church, Heath Town

A man who promoted himself as a waste carrier in Wolverhampton has been fined after a pile of rubbish was found strewn across graves in a churchyard.

Damian Maiden, of Jonesfield Crescent, Eastfield, who offered his services on social media, charged a resident on Bushbury Hill to collect a haul of bin bags, furniture and clothes. They were found dumped on graves at Holy Trinity Church, Heath Town, on 15 November 2024.

He pleaded guilty to failing to provide waste transfer notes and not being a registered carrier of controlled waste at Dudley Magistrates Court on 30 July.

Maiden was ordered to pay £948 in fines and costs for the first charge, and no separate penalty was imposed for the second.

The money he paid will be invested into the City of Wolverhampton Council's environmental crime service.

Maiden was tracked down through evidence the authority's officers found in the household items in the graveyard.

They then tracked down phone messages of him talking to the resident, as well as doorbell camera footage of him collecting the waste.

He was issued with a notice requiring waste transfer notes for his removals business, but he failed to comply, and it became clear he was not a registered waste carrier at the time of the incident.

"Dumping waste is bad enough, but having the sheer lack of respect to leave it scattered across graves in the grounds of a church is utterly disgusting," said councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services.

He added that residents should carefully check the business details of waste carriers.

The authority also advised people not to pay cash.

Its household waste and recycling centres are open seven days a week from 08:00 to 16:00 BST in Anchor Lane, Lanesfield, Bilston and Shaw Road, Wolverhampton.