Three found guilty of dumping waste pay the price

12 June 2023

Three people who have been found guilty of discarding of waste on the streets of West Northamptonshire have been ordered to pay £5,870 collectively.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) officers work hard alongside our waste collection partners to keep our areas clean and green. When fly tipping or littering offences occur, we will take action against offenders in line with our enforcement policy. This week alone there have three cases where people were held to account for the impact their carelessness has had on the environment.

Mr Umit Bilgin, aged 43 of Patterdale Walk, Northampton attended court on 6 June and pleaded guilty after he was linked back to dumped household and construction waste in Spectacle Lane, Moulton which is a rural hot spot area for fly-tipping crime. Bilgin had to pay out £3,350 for fly-tipping and not complying with his duty of care for disposing of household waste properly.

WNC officers attended the area in February 2022 after being alerted by a local resident and came across the large amount of waste carelessly discarded on the Lane. After carrying out an investigation they found items which linked this back to Bilgin. He was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £400, which he did not pay. The case was put forward for prosecution where he was fined £1,400, costs amounting to £1,800 and a victim surcharge of £140.

On the same day in court Miss Emma Smith aged 31 of Harefield Road, Blackthorn was found guilty of littering and fined a total of £1,260 for failing to pay a fixed penalty notice of £150. Smith did not attend court on 6 June and the case was heard in her absence, she was subsequently found guilty and fined £220, as well as costs amounting to £952.27 and a victim surcharge of £88.

In October 2022 a WNC Neighbourhood Warden carried out a routine patrol in Kingsland Gardens, Northampton, where they found a pile of green refuse sacks. After investigating the officer found it was linked to Miss Kelly Short aged 41 of Kingsland Gardens, Kingsthorpe.

Short was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £150 and failed to provide evidence to support her challenge of the fine issued. Her challenge was rejected, and a case was put forward to prosecution when the fixed penalty remained unpaid. Short failed to appear in Court and was found guilty in her absence she was subsequently fined £220, as well as costs amounting to £952.27 and a victim surcharge of £88.

Three cases in one week which have resulted in fines totalling more than £5,800 for careless crimes of littering and fly-tipping demonstrates our commitment to investigating and responding to cases of environmental crime, as well as the invaluable support we receive from residents to report fly-tips, and provide statements which are vital when reaching a positive outcome and prosecution.

There is no excuse for blighting our streets with waste and we will ensure people are held accountable for their actions. Working together, we can tackle waste crime and help to keep our areas clean and green.  We very much welcome support from our communities to help bring these offenders to taskCllr David Smith, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services at WNC

People can report fly-tipping on our website, along with details of any information which can help to pinpoint the offenders. To find out more visit our cleaner communities page.