A Birmingham carer has been ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work after admitting he dumped a bag of rubbish on a city road during the refuse workers dispute, believing it was a drop-off point for mobile collections.
Keron Chambers, aged 59, of Sladefield Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday, September 24, to driving to Ward End Park Road and dumping one black bin bag from a Mercedes without a permit on April 2 2025.
Defendant claimed he relied on online information
Chambers, who told the court he is an unpaid carer for two people in Birmingham, said he had looked up information on where rubbish could be taken during the bin strikes with the city council. He said the research found Ward End Park Road as a collection point and gave the date of collection for later that day.
He said: “This happened when the bin strikes were on. We checked on our phones and it said where you can put your rubbish and what times it will be collected. We saw Ward End Park Road as where the collection point is and that the collection was taking place on the same day. We put one bag down and then drove off.”
Council prosecutes after unpaid fixed penalty notice
Hannan Aurangzeb, prosecuting for Birmingham City Council, said the authority had received a complaint about the incident, leading to an investigation and a fixed penalty notice issued to Chambers, which was not paid.
He said: “Fly-tipping is a significant, growing problem nationally and in Birmingham. It puts a strain on local authorities and results in substantial costs for cleaning up. Even small scale incidents cause harm, can attract rodents, pose a risk to health and cause damage to communities. When one person fly-tips, others think they can fly-tip at that location. The defendant flagrantly disregarded the law.”
Community order imposed with unpaid work and surcharge
Magistrates handed Chambers a community order requiring him to complete 40 hours of unpaid work. He also has to pay a surcharge of £114. The case highlights the council’s ongoing enforcement of fly-tipping laws, even during periods of industrial action by refuse workers.
