Man that dumped waste at a Port Talbot cemetery is fined thousands

Three loads of household waste including black bags, parcel boxes and carpeting were deposited on separate occasions, earlier this year, on land at the cemetery. Credit: Neath Port Talbot Council

A man from Port Talbot has been fined thousands of pounds for fly tipping on land at a local cemetery.

At Swansea Magistrates’ Court on October 6th, Pawel Mieczyslaw Samselski, 50, was sentenced to a fine, legal costs, clean-up costs, and a victim impact surcharge totalling £4,303.12.

He admitted three counts of illegally depositing waste at Goytre Cemetery and one of illegally transporting waste. Three loads of household waste including black bags, parcel boxes and carpeting were deposited on separate occasions, earlier this year, on land at the cemetery.

After complaints, Neath Port Talbot Council waste enforcement officers found the rubbish originated from householders in Newport and Cardiff. The Council says people had either used Samselski’s waste removal service previously or responded to advertisements on a Facebook site under the name 'Paul Madmax.'

The page was found to offer removal services featuring a van with a logo on its side. The same van was later found close to the defendant’s home in Goytre. He accepted he did not have a waste carrier licence and he had dumped the rubbish illegally.

Cllr Scott Jones, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetscene, said: “We take fly-tipping extremely seriously as it damages the environment of our residents, and this case has shown how seriously the courts are taking the issue too.

“We will always take action against the illegal dumping of waste to protect our environment and help improve the look of our towns, valleys and villages.”