Man punished for waste dumped in Cleethorpes grot spot

A 27-year-old man has appeared in court after his rubbish was dumped with tonnes of other fly-tipped waste in a lay-by off Hewitt’s Avenue in Cleethorpes.

John Barton, of Normandy Road, Cleethorpes, appeared before magistrates on Friday, October 26 and pleaded guilty for using an unlicensed waste carrier.

Barton admitted the disposal of waste was his responsibility and that he had used a third party to clear it. He was sentenced to a six-month conditional discharge, a £20 victim surcharge and costs of £85.

Before and after photos of a separate incident at the previously rubbish-filled Cleethorpes lay-by. Photo: North East Lincolnshire Council

He had garden waste and a cardboard box with his address on dumped in the lay-by on or around February 7 this year and it was discovered among 80 tonnes of waste that had come from other homes and businesses.

Other fly-tipped waste included garden waste, tree cuttings, rubble, car parts, building materials, asbestos, carpets, doors, a fridge, black bags of domestic waste and loose domestic waste.

It cost the council £6,075 to remove all of the waste and clear the lay-by. There was an added cost of more than £5,000 to install temporary barriers to prevent more fly-tipping.

Portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, councillor David Bolton, said: “We find time and again that people are being paid to get rid of waste and then dumping it illegally.

“This could be avoided if householders and businesses checked the credentials of those disposing of their waste.

“The simplest way to check whether a business is licensed to take waste is to ask them for their carrier licence number and then visit the Environment Agency’s waste carrier register and enter the details.

“Clearing the mess cost the council thousands of pounds. I am disappointed at the penalty given to the culprit. The huge cost to clear the fly-tipping is not reimbursed to the council or the tax payer.”