Wellingborough man fined for 'despicable and disgusting' fly-tipping offences

A man who illegally allowed his waste to be dumped in public areas has been ordered to pay £9,628.35.

Following an investigation by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), Luke Daniel Brown was charged with four offences of breaching Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Brown, 30, of Furnace Lane, Wellingborough pleaded guilty to all four charges.

The prosecution comes after neighbourhood wardens investigated four separate fly-tips across west Northants over the course of four months in 2022.

The offences took place at Court Farm Lane, Overstone on February 15, at Pritchard Close, Rectory Farm on March 3, Leyside Court, Overstone Lodge on March 15, and Pritchard Close, Rectory Farm on June 6.

During the investigation all the fly-tips and waste could be linked to Brown and his business activities.

The council’s senior lawyer from the in-house legal team highlighted to the court that the offences were committed for financial gain and contained large amounts of household rubbish, together with unidentified animal carcasses, rotting meat, soiled bedding, empty food packaging and faeces, from the unlicensed dog breeding business that Brown had been running from his home at the time.

While passing sentence, the magistrates said: “Given the amount and type of waste you produced the offences were despicable and disgusting.

"If you were going to pay someone to get rid of your waste for you, especially given its nature, you should have been even more careful.”

Brown received a fine of £1,000 for each offence, was ordered to pay a £1,600 victim surcharge and the council’s full costs of £4,028.35 - a total of £9,628.35 at Wellingborough Magistrates Court on January 16.

Cllr David Smith, portfolio holder for community safety and engagement, and regulatory services at WNC, said: “Our officers worked extremely hard to achieve this outcome and ensure those who illegally fly-tip are held accountable.

"We will not hesitate to take action against those who think they can carelessly discard of their rubbish on our streets and green areas, causing a negative impact on our environment and our communities.

"There is simply no excuse for not ensuring waste is correctly disposed of, and offenders will face the consequences of their actions.

"We would like to thank the members of the public that supported our investigations.”