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Two men from Ipswich have been given criminal records for dumping household waste at a fly-tipping hotspot at Church Lane , Sproughton in the Babergh district.
Church Lane is one of Babergh’s key litter hotspot areas and has needed a special clear-up in the past – costing Council Taxpayers over £500 for the removal of 20 tonnes of material. There have been 8 incidences of fly-tipping in the area in the last 12 months.
Babergh District Council’s Litter Warden, Chris Sandford, routinely monitors the area for fly-tipping and in July 2004 found some dumped household and garden waste. Investigations resulted in Babergh receiving a letter from Daniel Storey and Martin Wright admitting and apologising for dumping the waste.
The letter explained their actions. ‘In assisting a neighbour in the clearance of a garden we found ourselves with a van full of rubbish. We didn’t know what to do. So we ignorantly dumped it for a quick and easy solution. We would like to offer our sincere apologies for our actions, this was the first and only time we have ever done this. We are both deeply ashamed of what we did.’
Babergh has now cautioned the pair, as part of its drive to clamp down on fly-tippers. A caution constitutes a criminal record and remains in the public domain for five years. The pair were informed that, if they did not accept the formal caution, they would be prosecuted for the offence. The pair agreed to quotes from their letter to be made public to help Babergh warn other would-be dumpers. ‘We have learnt our lesson and realise this sort of action is unacceptable’ they said.
Gifford Lewis, Environmental Health Manager said ‘I hope this serves as a warning to other members of the public – dumping waste is illegal and an eyesore and the Council is keen to make an example of those who dispose of waste in this way. Although a caution was issued this time, there will be occasions when the severity of an incident is such that we will go straight for a prosecution .’
Information about how to report fly-tipping.
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