Heywood fly-tippers fined over dumped rubbish

A Heywood resident who hired an unlicensed waste carrier has been fined after waste from his property was found dumped behind his home.

Terence Edhouse of Cedar Avenue, Heywood, appeared at Manchester & Salford Magistrates’ Court on 12 September and pleaded guilty to one offence contrary to Section 34(2A) of the Environmental Protection Act (1990).

In October 2019, the council’s enforcement team found a pile of waste fly-tipped at the rear of Cedar Avenue, which included correspondence addressed to his home.

Mr Edhouse attended an interview in connection with the fly-tipped waste, and admitted under caution that he employed an unnamed person to remove the waste for him. He further admitted to not undertaking any background checks to see if the hired waste carrier was licensed by the Environment Agency or obtain any receipt after paying in cash.

Mr Edhouse failed to attend court on 9 April 2021, which resulted in the issue of a warrant without bail. On 10 September 2022, he was arrested and later appeared in court where he was fined £225 and ordered to pay £270 costs and a £32 victim surcharge.

On 22 September, Carl Langton of Grassington Drive, Heap Bridge, Bury, was also brought before the same court for a fly-tipping offence.

In April 2019, the council received a complaint of waste fly-tipped on land at Smethurst Street in Heywood. CCTV footage clearly showed waste being dumped from a vehicle.

Mr Langton admitted that he was the person seen fly-tipping on the CCTV footage and was offered a Fixed Penalty Notice but failed to pay it, which led to his eventual prosecution. He pleaded guilty to the offence of fly-tipping and was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge along with a £26 victim surcharge.

The court stated that it took into account a number of factors when considering what sanction to impose, including the fact that Mr Langton was in custody on a separate matter. 

Councillor Liam O’Rourke, cabinet member for climate change and environment, said: “Fly-tipping, no matter how small, is inexcusable. Once again, we have seen a case here where residents have not done their checks when booking a waste carrier. If evidence is found linking you to fly-tipped waste, no matter who has discarded it, you will be fined, simple as that.

"We continue to work hard to stamp out fly-tipping, even when sanctions handed down by the courts, including fines, do not always reflect the crime. Our enforcement officers can charge offenders by serving formal cautions and on-the-spot Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) when evidence is found. Let's stop this illegal activity in our borough.”

Residents can check details of a waste carrier's licence or report fly-tipping at rochdale.gov.uk/flytipping or by calling 0300 303 8884.

Large bulky items can also be removed from your home for free. Collections can be booked at rochdale.gov.uk/bulkywaste.