Published Tuesday 20 October 2020 at 10:40
Three people who left rubbish to pile up outside their properties in Blackburn with Darwen have been ordered to pay more than £1,000 in court fines and charges.
The three prosecutions brought by Blackburn with Darwen Council came after the residents were reported for leaving their rear yards and gardens filled with bags of waste between October 2019 and March 2020.
The defendants were all summonsed to appear before Blackburn Magistrates after ignoring repeated calls from the council to take action as well as offers of support.
The council’s Environmental Waste Crime Team has been working hard throughout the pandemic to make sure that the borough is kept free from waste offences such as these.
Councillor Jim Smith, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment said:
There is no excuse to allow waste to mount up and be left as it had been in these cases.
It’s disgusting – there is no other word for it. It creates a blight on the environment and is not nice for those residents living nearby – many of whom take real pride in their homes and where they live.
Situations like this can also be dangerous and will attract vermin which is why whenever we receive reports, our teams will investigate thoroughly.
Councillor Smith added:
We don’t take court action lightly as we want to work with residents to solve the problem once and for all, but in some cases it is the only way and is very much needed.
If our residents are suffering the same problems with their neighbours, I’d encourage them to get in touch.
We have a really hard working team that will do everything they can to help.
Importantly, I’d also encourage any residents who have problems with their waste mounting up to please ask for help.
We can offer the right support and there’s much better options available than the cost of going to court and being names and shamed.
If you live in Blackburn with Darwen you can book to visit your local Household Waste Recycling Centre to dispose of any extra waste for free. You can book a slot here.
If you need to dispose of larger items, the Council offers a low-cost bulky waste collection service starting from just £7.50.
If you would like to report waste left outside a property you can do so on our website.
Full prosecution details
For failing to comply with a Section 80 Notice of the EPA (accumulation of waste in rear yard):
Mr Benjamin Groom, 31, Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn. Fined £220.00 with £80.00 costs and a £32.00 victim surcharge. Total: £332.00
Proved guilty in absence.
Miss Kelly Jones, 31, Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn. Fined £220.00 with £80.00 costs and a £32.00 victim surcharge. Total: £332.00
Proved guilty in absence.
Miss Penelope Hyatt, 49, Watson Street, Blackburn. Fined £220.00 with £85.00 costs and £34.00 victim surcharge. Total: £339.00
Proved guilty in absence.
For more information, visit the waste section of our website.
