Fly-tippers fined for abandoning waste in Preston

Both Andrew Milne and Paul Williams pleaded guilty to the charges brought by Preston City Council at the city’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday, August 8.

Milne must now pay a penalty of £1,885.75 and Williams a total of £1,313.75.

Councillor Brian Rollo, cabinet member for environment said: “Thanks to the rigorous investigations and combined work of the Police, Environment Agency and Preston City Council we have successfully prosecuted these individuals for fly-tipping offences.

“This is another example of the tireless efforts and excellent partnerships working to help keep our city and surrounding areas clean.

“We continue to encourage anyone to report fly tipping incidents via the website.”

Milne is a registered waste carrier who operates under the name of Done N Dusted, with Williams being one of his associates.

On December 13, 2017, a large pile of mixed household waste was discovered abandoned on an isolated track near the River Ribble at Fishwick Bottoms. Enforcement officers from Preston City Council visited the site to examine the waste for evidence.

When they returned on December 14, officers discovered a second pile of waste had been dumped at the same location.

Evidence recovered from the waste linked to three domestic properties in the Preston area – all of whom had paid the business Done N Dusted to remove their rubbish.

Officers then discovered that the business was operated by Milne and that he used a Ford Transit tipper lorry to transport waste.

On December 20, 2017, Preston City Council’s enforcement officers assisted by Preston Police, attended Milne’s home address and seized his lorry, which was subsequently crushed in line with the Council’s seizure powers

Milne and Williams were both interviewed by the Environment Agency and admitted that Williams was the one to dump the waste using Milne’s vehicle and with his permission.

Milne denied being present at the time of the offences but did admit that he had been involved in the removal of the waste using his lorry.

The use of Milne’s vehicle in this way meant that Milne would be treated as jointly liable for the offences. According to the law, the owner of a vehicle involved in fly tipping can be held as committing that offence even though he was not present at the time.