Fly tipper ordered to pay £2,000 after waste dumped and burned on Wearside estate
A fly tipper who was caught on CCTV dumping waste before it was set alight on an estate in Houghton Le Spring has been ordered to pay out almost £2,000.
Darren Roxby pleaded guilty to three counts of fly-tipping at South Tyneside Magistrates Cour,t as well as transporting controlled waste in the course of a business or otherwise, with a view to profit without registering as an upper tier waste carrier.
CCTV footage from Gravel Walks captures the moment a Ford Transit pickup arrived and tipped out the waste before a male passenger covered it in petrol before it was set alight.
The two other offences, which took place at the former Forest Estate off South Hetton Road Easington Lane were also recorded on CCTV.
Roxby of Seventh Street, Blackhall Colliery, Hartlepool, was ordered to pay out a total of £1,935.70 including a victim surcharge of £114, clean-up costs of £395 and costs of £1426.70
He was also handed a 12-month community order meaning he must complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
The Ford pickup was later seized by officers from Sunderland City Council Environmental Enforcement team, working with police officers from Hetton's HALO Team (Hetton Aspirations Linking Opportunities).
Councillor Lindsey Leonard, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Net Zero at Sunderland City Council, said: "Fly-tipping can be a real blight on our communities so I'm really pleased that we managed to achieve a successful prosecution in this case.
"The sheer audacity of this fly-tipping, dumping large amounts of waste in broad daylight before setting it on fire has to be seen to be believed.
"I hope that the conviction and sentence, which requires this individual to do 80 hours unpaid work in the community, sends out a clear message that this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstance.
"The seizure of the van with the help of police working in the HALO Team is also evidence of the effectiveness of partnership working in tackling issues affecting our communities, which is exactly what it was set up to do.
"I would urge anyone who comes across fly-tipping in their community to report it so that we can tackle it and, where the evidence is available, take action against those responsible"
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: “We understand and recognise the adverse impact that fly-tipping has. It can spoil the look and feel of our neighbourhoods.
"That’s why we’re proud to work alongside Sunderland City Council and our other partners as part of the HALO team, and hope this conviction sends out a strong message to other would-be offenders."
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