A Wombourne man has been ordered to pay almost £2,000 after asking an untrustworthy scrap collector to remove his waste – only for it to be dumped in a rural lane less than a mile from his home.
Marcus Portman, 44, of Hazel Grove, Wombourne, was due to appear at Cannock Magistrates for trial on Monday, September 8, charged with a duty of care offence relating to Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Portman had previously pleaded not guilty and stated he did not agree with the relevant legislation.
He failed to attend on Monday, however, and was tried by magistrates in his absence.
Portman was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of £660, £1,060 in costs, plus a victim surcharge of £264 – totalling £1,984, payable in 28 days.
Magistrates determined he had failed to carry out reasonable steps to ensure his waste was transferred to an authorised waste carrier, therefore failing to fulfil his duty of care.
The abandoned waste was discovered dumped in hedgerows by a volunteer litter picker in Withymere Lane, Wombourne, on two separate occasions in January and February 2024. In total, there were nine bin liners filled with a range of household rubbish.
Both piles of rubbish contained documents identifying Portman – including a utility bill, parcel packaging, a broken car registration plate, and Christmas cards.
Officers from South Staffordshire Council issued a fixed penalty notice to Portman on March 22, 2024, followed by a further final opportunity to pay on April 17, 2024 – but these remained unpaid by the defendant, resulting in court action.
Cabinet member for regulatory services, Councillor Rita Heseltine, said: “We at South Staffordshire Council will not tolerate this kind of carelessness which has such a severely detrimental effect on our landscape.
“This guilty verdict and associated costs send a strong message, highlighting how important it is for residents to be diligent with whom they trust to handle their rubbish. While Mr Portman did not fly-tip the rubbish himself, he was still responsible for ensuring its appropriate disposal.
“A special thank you must go to the volunteer litter picker in this case, whose tireless work to maintain the cleanliness of his local area goes a very long way – and, in this case, helped to secure a prosecution.”