A Salford man pleaded guilty to trading without a licence after being taken to court by Salford City Council.
David Donlan of DR Removals ‘Limited’ was not registered as a limited company or a waste carrier and therefore was not legally allowed to remove waste.
When personal letters and children’s photos, sofas, household waste and a double mattress – that he claimed he paid two strangers to take away – ended up dumped all over a Salford beauty spot, Mr Donlan found himself in court.
David Donlan 27, of Fairless Road, Eccles, formerly trading as D R Removals of Fairless Road, Eccles, appeared at Salford and Manchester Magistrates court on Wednesday 19 August.
He admitted two offences of failing to take all reasonable care to ensure waste was only transferred to an authorised person contrary to S34(6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. One offence was on or about Saturday April 18 and the other on or about Sunday April 26.
He was given a two year conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of £1,284.68 and a victim surcharge of £15.
The court heard that environmental crime officers from Salford City Council were patrolling Chat Moss, Irlam, a known flytipping hot spot. Chat Moss has the potential to be restored to lowland raised bog – a habitat of international importance, has special status under the European Union Habitats Directive and is identified as a priority habitat in the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan.
The patrol came across flytipping at Twelve Yards Road on Wednesday 22 April. Two damaged sofas, eight bin bags containing general household waste, one child’s scooter, general household items and general household waste were strewn over a wide area.
The rubbish also included 39 personal letters, two forms, 13 envelopes, a school report and six photos of children.
Five days later the patrol found more flytipping at Cutnook Lane, Irlam with a double mattress, a suitcase wood, general household items and general household waste again strewn over a wide area.
Officers traced two women who said they had paid Mr Donlan of DR Removals ‘Limited’ to remove the rubbish and dispose of it correctly. One paid him £120 after conversations via Facebook and the other £50.
Further checks revealed that DR Removals was not registered as a limited company and neither Mr Donlan or his company were registered as a waste carrier and was therefore breaking the law.
When questioned by council officers Mr Donlan said he had passed the waste he collected in April on to two unknown men who ‘knocked on’ at his address. He assumed they would dispose of it properly and was angry that they had not. Mr Donlan, who said he was now unemployed, told officers he paid them £20 each time to save him the job of separating out the waste at the tip.
Speaking after the case Councillor Gena Merrett, assistant mayor for housing and environment at Salford City Council, said: “Mr Donlan had no authority to collect waste for cash and was totally irresponsible in paying two strangers to dispose of it. This waste ended up dumped in an area which is being restored to provide habitats for rare and endangers species. He has wasted his own money and public money and time cleaning up after him.
“Salford City Council will continue to take firm action against flytippers who think they can treat our city and countryside as their own personal dump.”
Salford City Council receives 283 reports every month of incidents of illegal dumping/fly-tipping and spends approximately £140,000 every year investigating and clearing up after flytippers.
This cost is met by the council tax and business rate payers of Salford.
This prosecution is as a result of an on-going city wide crackdown called ‘Operation Pandora’ which has so far prosecuted 38 offenders including people from Blackpool, Plymouth, Yorkshire, Sussex and Scotland resulting in fines and costs recovered of more than £27,000.
