A Swinton taxi driver has been fined in court after dumping a soiled mattress on a back street in Salford.
Martin Shorten, of Ringlow Avenue, was caught on CCTV dropping off the mucky matress on Cottenham Lane after throwing away the base at the Lumns Lane tip in Clifton.
Appearing at Salford and Manchester magistrates court on Wednesday 15 June he was fined £400 and ordered to pay £722 costs, £173.65 compensation and a £40 victims’ surcharge.
Mr Shorten was apologetic when challenged by Salford City Council officers, saying he knew what he had done was wrong and there was no excuse for it.
The court heard that his fully liveried private hire Skoda was caught on camera driving into the street and turning around.
Council CCTV operators watched as Mr Shorten dumped the waste in the street and then drove away.
When questioned Mr Shorten said he had gone to the tip at Lumns Lane and got rid of the bed base but was too embarrassed to leave the mattress, which he had soiled, because there were a lot of people there.
He then went to the Cobden Street tip but the waste skip was full to the brim so he drove to Cottenham Lane and dumped it there.
Speaking after the case Councillor David Lancaster, lead member for environment and community safety, said: “Mr Shorten had plenty of opportunities to dispose of this mattress and his other rubbish in the proper way.
“Instead he chose to drive to a back street and dump it all there for council tax payers to pay to clean up. It’s a costly mistake for all concerned.”
The case was brought as part of Salford City Council’s ongoing Operation Pandora to crack down on flytippers.
To date, 36 offenders have been prosecuted for 45 offences (some committed more than one offence) resulting in fines, compensations and costs of more than £37,000.
