Two Calderdale residents are paying the price for their fly tipping actions, after being caught illegally dumping waste in north Halifax.
Richard Whylie and Nicola Williams of Sturton Grove, Halifax have together been fined over £1200 for their involvement in fly tipping at Cold Edge Road, Halifax on Thursday 9 June 2022.
Their actions were captured by one of Calderdale Council’s covert cameras, which are used across the borough in fly tipping hotspots. The camera witnessed two individuals dumping bags of waste from a white Nissan Qashqai. The Council was then able to use the registration of the vehicle to identify the two people involved.
The two suspects were interviewed under caution and admitted their involvement. Mr Whylie admitted he was the one who dumped the waste, and Miss Williams admitted she was the one who drove the vehicle.
Following court action, Richard Whylie was fined a total of £942 for fly tipping offences and Nicola Williams was fined £259 for driving the vehicle used to dump the waste. The Council also seized the vehicle involved.
Fly tipping is illegal, and consequences can be severe, including fines of up to £50,000 or up to five years in prison for serious offenders. The Council won’t hesitate to use its enforcement powers, which can include prosecution and the seizure of vehicle/s involved.
The Council continues to do all it can to tackle fly tipping and the Council’s Community Safety team regularly uses camera technology at fly tipping hotspots to not only catch the culprits, but act as a deterrent for those considering dumping waste.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Jenny Lynn, said:
“Fly tipping is a blight on our beautiful landscape and we simply won’t tolerate this selfish crime.
“This case demonstrates our commitment to tackling the issue and shows that we won’t hesitate to use the strongest enforcement action where necessary.
“The use of technology, such as covert cameras, is helping us to catch offenders in the act. This case is a reminder that even if you don’t physically dump the waste yourself, you will still be held responsible if you were involved in another way, such as by driving the vehicle.
“We will continue to crack down on the problem and do all we can to ensure we can identify those responsible and take robust action.”
In all cases of fly tipping, having as much information as possible helps to bring successful prosecutions. The following details are most helpful:
- The day, date, time and location of the fly tipping;
- A description of any people involved;
- What was fly tipped and how much;
- Details of any vehicle involved, including registration number, colour, make and model;
- Any photo or video evidence, such as CCTV or dash cam footage
Fly tipping can be reported at www.calderdale.gov.uk/doitonline, where there’s also an interactive map, allowing people to drop a pin to report a problem with fly tipping.
The map allows Council officers to easily see fly tipping ‘hot spots’ so efforts can be directed to these areas to prevent the illegal dumping of waste in future or catch the culprits in action.
For more information about the laws around fly tipping and for advice on how to dispose of waste responsibly, visit: www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/community-and-living/clean-streets/fly-tipping