TWO people have been hit in the pocket to the combined tune of more than £1,000 for illegally dumping waste in Hyde.
Stephanie Brierley, of Padstow Walk, and Gareth Griffiths, of South Side, were prosecuted after their rubbish was discovered by Tameside Council.
In Ms Brierley’s case, street cleaners passed on evidence to waste enforcement officers after finding fly tipping in Commercial Street on February 1, 2024.
After it was traced to her, she was offered the opportunity to pay a fixed penalty notice or attend an interview under caution.
Ms Brierley initially responded to the enforcement team and said that she had paid someone to remove the waste, but no details of the carrier were passed to the team.
The notice remained unpaid, despite numerous reminders and on December 5 at Tameside Magistrates Court, she admitted failing to comply with her household waste duty of care.
Ms Brierley was ordered to pay a total of £869 – which included a fine of £292, compensation of £250, costs of £200 and victim surcharge of £117.
On the same day, magistrates were told how on July 30, 2024, council waste enforcement officers attended Backbower housing estate, along with officers from Jigsaw Homes to conduct a joint operation in relation to fly tipping following complaints regarding the management of waste by residents.
The court heard officers found an accumulation of waste consisting of carrier bags and black bags of rubbish in Peveril Terrace, within the car park.
That was traced to Mr Griffiths, who also did not pay an FPN, and after admitting fly tipping, he was ordered to pay £200 compensation to the council.
Tameside Council’s executive member for environmental services and neighbourhood, Cllr Laura Boyle, said: “These two prosecutions highlight some great teamwork between services and our partners to investigate fly tipping and hold those responsible accountable.
“The first one also serves as a reminder for residents to always use an authorised waste carrier – and get receipts – when asking someone to dispose of waste on their behalf to ensure they are legitimate and will dispose of the waste legally.
“I know fly tipping hugely concerns residents and is a blight on our neighbourhoods and we’re working hard to tackle it.
“Our teams are very committed to investigating incidents and tracking down those responsible and I would like to thank them for their diligence.
“Already this year we’ve had 14 waste cases before the courts, with 10 convictions and six cases still ongoing. The team has also issued 279 fixed penalty notices for waste offences.”