Published Monday 19 April 2021 at 12:25
Residents who have failed to properly dispose of unsightly and inconsiderate waste have been ordered to pay over £2000 in court fines and charges.
In the four cases brought by Blackburn with Darwen Council, neighbours had complained about mounting rubbish – with rear gardens and nearby areas being used as dumping grounds for rotting waste and discarded furniture, having a detrimental effect on local residents.
The defendants were summonsed to appear before Blackburn Magistrates after ignoring calls to take action by the council.
Two of the four cases revolved around residents allowing unauthorised waste carriers to remove their waste – resulting in fly tipping. We urge residents to be vigilant and ensure all relevant information is obtained before giving your waste to just anyone.
Two of the defendants failed to appear in court and therefore had fines proved in their absence, whilst the other two pleaded guilty of all charges.
The largest fine was for Miss Amy Louise Thornley, who was ordered to pay £1086 after failing to comply with a Section 80 Notice at a property in Herschell Street, Blackburn.
You can find the full prosecution details for each individual case below.
Tony Watson, Head of Environment for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said:
It’s brilliant to carry on the new working year with some heavy fines for those who are polluting our borough.
We take each and every waste complaint extremely serious and investigate thoroughly when complaints are made to us.
The vast majority of residents we have in Blackburn with Darwen care about the environment when it comes to waste, and we thank those residents. However, there is a select few that continue to wrongly dispose of their rubbish. This is unfair on neighbouring residents and our community as a whole.
We are here to let these offenders know that this behaviour is completely unacceptable and there will be serious consequences.
I would like to thank our Environmental Waste Crime team for their hard work and dedication in bringing forward these prosecutions, as well as all members of the public who report waste offences to us.
Last year, the Environmental Waste Crime team received payment for 66 fixed penalty notices and handled 49 prosecutions, despite a sustained period of suspension to court services due to the pandemic.
Please help us stop waste crimes by reporting them via the Council website: https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling
Full Prosecution Details
Name of defendant: Miss Bethany Riley
Address of defendant: Orkney Close, Blackburn
Date of offence: 2 January 2020
Date of court case: 6 April 2021
Details of charge: Miss Riley did without reasonable excuse fail to comply with a requirement imposed by a Community Protection Notice served on 28 October 2019 under section 43 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 in respect of failing to remove waste from trailers on Orkney Close.
Plea: Proved in Absence.
Fine: £220.00
Costs: £320.00
Victim Surcharge: £32.00
TOTAL £572.00
Name: Miss Eleanor Molly Radley
Address of defendant: Newfield Drive, Blackburn
Date of offence: 10 December 2020
Date of court case: 6 April 2021
Details of charge: Miss Radley failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure household waste produced by Newfield Drive is disposed of by an authorised person or persons authorised for transport purposes.
Plea: Guilty
Fine: £200.00
Costs: £50.00
Victim Surcharge: £34.00
TOTAL £284.00
Name of defendant: Miss Donna Hardy
Address of defendant: Manxman Road, Blackburn
Date of offence: 10 December 2020
Date of court case: 6 April 2021
Details of the charge: Miss Hardy failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure household waste produced by Manxman Road is disposed of by an authorised person or persons authorised for transport purposes.
Plea: Guilty
Fine: £200.00
Costs: £50.00
Victim Surcharge: £34.00
TOTAL £284.00
Name of defendant: Miss Amy Louise Thornley
Address of defendant: Herschell Street, Blackburn
Date of offence: 9 March 2020
Date of court case – 6 April 2021
Details of the charge – Miss Thornley did without reasonable excuse fail to comply with a requirement imposed by a Notice served under section 80 of the EPA 1990 in respect of failing to remove waste from land at Herschell Street, Blackburn
Plea: Proved in Absence
Fine: £660.00
Costs: £360.00
Victim Surcharge: £66.00
TOTAL £1086.00