'Thoughtless' fly-tipper who dumped rubbish right outside Wolverhampton church must pay thousands
A "thoughtless" fly-tipper who was caught on CCTV emptying a full wheelie bin of household waste in the grounds of a church has been told to pay up thousands of pounds.
Radu Vlaicu must pay £4,000 after dumping waste onto land at the Church of the Epiphany on Lymer Road, Wolverhampton.
The church’s security camera captured images of Vlaicu with the bin, which had a house number on it, and the offence was reported to council officers who then investigated and visited Vlaicu.
Although he admitted he was responsible and a Fixed Penalty Notice was issued, Vlaicu failed to pay and further efforts to contact him were unsuccessful.
The council then prosecuted and Vlaicu, of Lymer Road, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping at Dudley Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He was fined £1,984 and ordered to pay costs of £1,544.24 plus a victim surcharge of £794.
The costs awarded to the council will be reinvested back into its environmental crime service, helping to bring people to justice who fail to dispose of their waste correctly.
Vlaicu was captured on the church’s own security cameras, and CCTV is currently in operation around the city under the council’s Shop a Tipper campaign.
The crackdown was launched last year and it has seen a 53 per cent decrease in the number of fly-tips in the targeted streets.
Anyone suspected of dumping rubbish will see their images shared on lampposts to appeal for information to help identify them.
If the information provided leads to successful identification, and Fixed Penalty Notices are issued and paid or a prosecution takes place, residents receive a £100 Enjoy Wolverhampton Gift Card. Residents can contact 01902 552700 with information.
Councillor Craig Collingswood, cabinet member for environment and climate change at Wolverhampton Council, said: "Fly-tipping is a blight on our city and is a priority for the council to tackle.
"I’m delighted that we’ve been able to bring this case to court and that there has been such a positive outcome. In addition, with our Shop a Tipper crackdown, we are sending a strong message to fly-tippers.
"We will take all the necessary measures to stop this criminal behaviour and keep Wolverhampton – and its local neighbourhoods and streets - clean and attractive."
Residents are reminded that waste can be disposed of free of charge at the Household Waste and Recycling Centres (tips) which are open seven days a week from 8am – 4pm. Centres are at Anchor Lane, Lanesfield, Bilston and Shaw Road, Wolverhampton.
A bulky item collection service to dispose of big unwanted items is also available, find out more at wolverhampton.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/book-bulky-item-collection.
