£1,400 court bill for fly-tipper caught red handed in Walsall
A factory worker who dumped bin bags overflowing with rubbish and building materials in a country lane has been ordered to pay more than £1,400.
An off-duty police officer spotted Adrian Nencin tipping the controlled waste, which included ceramic tiles, plasterboard and plywood, out of his van in Skip Lane, Walsall.
The 25-year-old Romanian national of Mary Road in Handsworth, Birmingham, admitted depositing waste without an environmental permit.
Mr Dominic Patouchas, prosecuting on behalf of Walsall Council, said: "After about 3.30pm on October 14 last year, an off-duty police officer was driving his own car in Skip Lane when he noticed a Ford Transit van slightly off the road.
"It was stationed at a gated entrance to a field and stable compound and the officer saw what looked like builders rubbish in the back of the vehicle.
"The officer said he is aware that flytipping is common in that area and so he naturally became suspicious.
"He got out of his car and approached the lorry driver and cautioned him."
Walsall Magistrates Court heard Nencin apologised for his actions and put the rubbish, which measured 7ft by three metres high, back in his van before driving off.
Included in the waste was a broken ceramic toilet, hardwood, paper, bricks, plastic pots and bin bags with unknown contents.
Between April and November last year, the local authority spent £141,000 cleaning up after people who had dumped rubbish.
Mrs Sarb Sehmi, defending, said: "My client took the rubbish from a friend and this was a one-off incident.
"He had been in the country for two years and had no employment so he was struggling.
"He was compliant at the scene and made the admission and cleared the rubbish away.
"Despite the difficult circumstances he has turned his life around and secured employment in the packaging industry six weeks ago."
Nencin was ordered to pay a £650 fine and £806 costs to Walsall Council, a total of £1,456.10.
Chair magistrate, Mr Richard Dewis, said: "You were caught in the act of carrying out for your commercial gain something called flytipping.
"We have heard from the prosecution how much this costs the tax payer to clean up.
"It's only the fact you were caught in the act that you cleared the scene afterwards."
