A LOWER EARLEY resident has been fined £150 for fly-tipping waste in Charvil.
Jamie Daniel Costello of Carshalton Way, Lower Earley was convicted at Reading Magistrates Court after pleading guilty just before Christmas.
The court heard that May 10 last year, a play development officer from Wokingham Borough Council visited a fly-tipped site at Beggars Hill Road in Charvil, where there were two large piles of dumped household waste including black bin bags. When the bags were inspected, a packaging label addressed to the defendant was found.
Costello was interviewed at a police station by an enforcement officer from Buckinghamshire County Council, investigating on behalf of Wokingham Borough Council.
During his interview, the 33-year-old said that he dumped the waste because he was due to go away so put the bags in his car in the hope of seeing a commercial bin.
While driving down a remote lane he said he saw an existing pile of waste dumped at the side of the road, and decided to dump his rubbish with the existing waste. He is said to have described his actions as “stupid and lazy”.
Magistrates considered Costello’s early guilty plea and his means. And, as such, they fined him £70 and ordered him to pay £50 prosecution costs, plus a £30 victim surcharge.
Cllr Norman Jorgensen, executive member for environment, sports, environmental health, leisure and libraries, said: “Fly tipping offences will never be tolerated, and will be investigated and dealt with accordingly by the council. I would like to thank our team for taking action in this instance.
“Although we do have a duty as a council to collect dumped or fly tipped waste, it’s never acceptable to dump waste. If you witness any waste being illegally dumped call 0118 974 6000 or 0800 212 111 outside of office hours.”
