Rubbish dumped outside The Norton Knatchbull School Photo ABC
Investigating a large fly-tip behind The Norton Knatchbull School ended with an Ashford house owner being issued with a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) after he admitted paying a ‘complete stranger’ to dispose of his rubbish.
In November 2023 Ashford’s Environmental Enforcement team was alerted to the fly-tip in a lane alongside the school, at the entrance to Joey’s Wood. Retrieved from the rubbish was a planning application letter addressed to a house in Hunter Road in Willesborough.
The team visited the property named in the letter and it was clearly having renovation work done. A Land Registry check tracked down the out of borough owner of the house. During an interview under caution a month later, the owner confirmed that all of the fly tipped waste found near the school originated from his house in Hunter Road. He said a man in a van had pulled up outside and offered to take the waste away and a bank transfer of £120 was paid.
He told officers from the enforcement team that he did not check if the stranger held an Environment Agency Waste Carriers licence and did not receive a receipt, invoice or waste transfer note from him. After admitting failing in his Duty of Care to carry out the relevant checks he was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £400, which has been paid.
The team is continuing to make enquiries regarding the owner of the bank account the £120 was paid into.
Defies belief!
A spokesman for Ashford’s Environmental Enforcement team says it “defies belief” that despite ongoing publicity about fly-tipping, householders continue to trust “complete strangers” to dispose of their waste without asking for proof that they are licensed to do so, or obtaining a proper receipt for the transaction.
“It is vital that householders adhere to their Duty of Care and always ask to see the Waste Carriers Environment Agency licence. Always get a receipt or invoice for any payments of services made and always ensure that it has the full contact details of the service provider.
“If your waste is fly-tipped and we discover that you have failed carry out the necessary checks then you face a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice!”
What you need to know…
Legal duty of care
Households and also businesses have a legal duty of care when it comes to what happens to their waste. Before using someone to dispose of your rubbish you must carry out checks to ensure that the waste collectors are registered with the Environmental Agency and carry an authorised licence.
Beware rogue waste carriers
The Ashford team warn that fly-tippers often target households via social media or local advertising, luring customers in with cheap rates to dispose of unwanted furniture, building rubble or garden waste. But these unlicensed waste carriers often simply dump the waste wherever they can get away with it, including in Ashford’s country lanes.
Householders or small businesses found to be using these rogues to dispose of their waste can be prosecuted by the council, with FPNs of up to £400 per offence. Failure to pay may result in court action.
You can check whether someone is licensed to carry waste by calling the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 or visit their website at:
environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers
It also helps if householders receive a written receipt or transfer note, including contact details, description of waste removed and details of where the waste is being taken to
Report fly-tipping
Many of the leads that end with offenders being caught come from residents alerting the Council’s team to fly-tipping incidents by using the Report It page on our website – see
https://www.ashford.gov.uk/environmental-concerns/report-a-street-issue/fly-tipping/