A man has been slapped with a fine after he was caught on CCTV dumping a mattress.
The fly-tipper from Desborough, High Wycombe, who was not named, admitted to illegally dumping a mattress on a residential street.
The man was caught red-handed on a private CCTV camera leaving his property and carrying a mattress down the road with another man.
The same grotty mattress was later found dumped on the corner of Green Street and Upper Green Street, High Wycombe.
An investigation was launched which led council officers to the man’s doorstep. During an interview, he claimed he “did not know” he wasn’t allowed to leave the mattress on the street.
Watch the CCTV clip below.
To avoid a court prosecution, he chose to pay a £300 fixed penalty fine for admitting the offence.
The culprit got off lightly because since he was dealt with, Buckinghamshire Council increased its fly-tipping fixed penalties to £1,000 after the government introduced changes last year to help councils crackdown on illegal waste dumping.
Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for climate change and environment Gareth Williams said: “Buckinghamshire Council has a zero tolerance to dumping offences of any kind. There is no excuse for fly-tipping. There are excellent recycling facilities for residents seeking to dispose of bulky items, either by taking them to one of our Household Recycling Centres or arranging for a bulky waste collection via our website.”
He praised the resident for providing the CCTV footage and giving permission to use it.
Sadly, dumping of items like bedding was an “ongoing problem in many of our residential areas,” he said.
He continued: “Not only does it create a real eyesore, it also has a cost to the council and ultimately taxpayers, in terms of the financial burden of having to fund the clear up and disposal. This incident happened before our rates increased but anyone issued with a Fixed Penalty for a similar offence now will be looking at paying more than three times the amount so I hope that will be a stark warning. We have eyes and ears everywhere – don’t chance it – dispose of your waste lawfully and ethically.”
Residents with evidence showing a fly-tipping crime or to provide a witness statements can contact the council’s enforcement team at SCRAPflytipping@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.
Reports of fly-tipping should be made via FixMyStreet online tool at www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/fix-my-street
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