January 25, 2016 12.39 pm This story is over 97 months old

RAF serviceman fined for dumping household waste in Lincolnshire field

Large fine: An RAF serviceman who claimed to not realise that fly-tipping was an offence has been fined.

An RAF serviceman who discarded his own bank documents in a field has been fined, despite claiming not to realise that it was an offence.

North Kesteven District Council officers traced Martin Godwin through the military housing team and DVLA, after finding re-directed mail, postcards and a car parking ticket with his car registration.

Godwin, 40, and of Castlefields, Tattershall, pleaded guilty at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on January 14 to dumping the rubbish at a remote location on New Road, Blankney Dales in May 2015, four months before it was reported.

After initially stating that he did not realise it was an offence, Godwin apologised and praised the NKDC officers for their diligence in tracking him down.

The court gave him full credit for an early guilty plea and imposed a fine of £1,250 with a victim surcharge of £120.

He was also ordered to pay the council’s legal, investigation and clean-up costs in full, which came to £1,024.79.

In total, Godwin was fined £2,394.79.

Martin Godwin dumped his discarded items in a field

Martin Godwin dumped his discarded items in a field

Councillor Richard Wright, Executive Member for Environmental Health at NKDC said: “The district council has never tolerated fly-tipping and pursues it robustly whenever and wherever it becomes aware of it.

“We take the matter very seriously and will prosecute anyone who is caught doing so.

“A prime motivation behind our robust stance against fly-tipping is the broader education and awareness of the wider public as much as an environmental vigilance – which is especially important in a case such as this where I find it completely unbelievable that someone would claim to not know that it is an offence to blight our countryside with rubbish.

“It is unfortunate that this was another of those cases where someone has gone to great lengths to dump rubbish in a remote place.

“Had they used the same amount of thought and care in acting responsibly, driving to a tip or arranging for a bulky waste collection they would have saved themselves time, trouble and expense and not caused such environmental harm.”