A man has been ordered to pay almost £2,000 for fly-tipping rubbish in a farm gateway.
Oliver Pidhorodeckyj, of Pine Tree House, Sykes Lane, Balderston, Newark, was convicted of depositing waste near a farm on the B1178 at Bracebridge Heath on 5 April last year without a permit.
The 33-year-old denied the charge, but after hearing evidence from witnesses who had seen his vehicle at the site and the distance between the back of the van and the dumped waste, magistrates took less than five minutes to find him guilty.
© Nicholas and Sherry Lu Aldridge/FLPA / imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock
Mr Pidhorodeckyj was also found guilty of failing to comply with a request for information.
He was sentenced at Lincoln Magistrates Court, where he was fined £875, ordered to pay compensation of £118.50 and costs of £975 – £1,968 in total.
North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) said the case should serve as a reminder to would-be fly-tippers that they will be prosecuted.
Councillor Richard Wright, NKDC executive board member for enforcement, said: “The message is simple and clear – we will not tolerate fly-tipping in our district.
“We will investigate every instance and take action against perpetrators where there is sufficient evidence to be able to do so.”
Tougher action needed
Last month, the NFU wrote to justice secretary Liz Truss, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners to demand much tougher action against fly-tipping on farms.
NFU president Meurig Raymond said magistrates needed to impose tougher sentences on fly-tippers to protect the countryside from being “contaminated, desecrated and despoiled” by fly-tipping.
Serious offences of fly tipping are punishable by an unlimited fine or up to five years in prison.
Article published on www.fwi.co.uk on 30th March 2017.