Court hears he dumped site waste in middle of a road
A building site manager has been prosecuted for not checking the credentials of the waste carrier he paid to take building rubbish in Earlsfield off his hands.
Patrick Barcoe, aged 43, from Gloucestershire, was found guilty of failing to ensure the building waste from his site at Wilna Road, Earlsfield, was disposed of responsibly.
The unauthorised carrier took away the waste and dumped it in Blanchland Road, Morden. The waste was dumped in the middle of the road which meant the road had to be temporarily closed.
Barcoe, who worked for Simply Extensions Ltd, was ordered to pay a total of £985 which covered the fine, compensation, legal and court costs.
Before paying for waste to be taken away, the responsibility lies with the building contractor or the resident to ensure that the waste carrier is licenced to collect and transport waste. Details of legitimate waste carriers registered with the Environment Agency can be checked online for free.
Merton Council’s cabinet member for environmental cleanliness and parking Councillor Judy Saunders said: “We will come down like a tonne of bricks on anyone who fly-tips in Merton, and that includes people who are from outside the borough. We know the vast majority of residents are law-abiding and hate the eyesore of fly-tipping and we hate it too, so anyone who is tempted to dump their waste on our streets should be warned. A criminal record is not something to be proud of, but that is what you get if you’re found guilty of dumping waste or if you get an unlicensed waste carrier to take away your rubbish.”
Anyone who witnesses fly-tipping should note down as many details of what they see as possible and let Merton Council know by visiting merton.gov.uk/street-cleaning.
November 19, 2015