Express & Star

Pensioner fined £300 for fly-tipping on playing field

An 80-year-old man has been hit with a £300 fine for fly-tipping in the Stafford borough.

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The man dumped two trailer-loads of rubbish at a playing field site.

He was caught on CCTV dumping large pots and other items near to recycling containers at the Jubilee Playing Fields between Great and Little Haywood.

The film shows the man driving to the site in between Great and Little Haywood on two occasions in his Range Rover with a trailer containing the rubbish.

The area has been a hot spot for people fly tipping and Colwich Parish Council – which owns the site – installed the surveillance camera in a bid to deter people from dumping rubbish.

They alerted Stafford Borough Council to the incident earlier this year leading to the man being given fixed penalty fines of £300.

The council has so far issued 84 fixed penalty notices for offences such as littering and dog fouling this year.

Councillor Frank Finlay, cabinet member for environment and health at Stafford Borough Council, said: "Fly-tipping is a scourge on our area and we are keen to ensure anyone who does dump rubbish illegally will be made to pay.

"Recently we have seen a number of people who discarded cigarette ends on the street handed £75 fines, and we are well known for our approach of punishing those who do not clean up after their dogs.

"We will continue to take a zero tolerance approach to environmental crime as we know those who take pride in their borough are sick and tired of the inconsiderate minority who want to rubbish it."

But he added: "We need the help of members of the public if we are going to stop this blight on the borough so I would ask anyone with information about fly-tipping or other environmental crimes to get in touch with us in confidence."

Problems can be reported at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/streetscene-service-online-forms or at grimewatch@staffordbc.gov.uk or 01785 619402.

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