A Midland flytipper who illegally dumped a pile of garden, household, and building waste was brought to justice after leaving a tell-tale note at the scene. Brendon Garner, aged 34, of Blaze Park in Kingswinford, was caught out by a notebook which contained details of a rubbish collection and the words '£250 DONE.'
Details of the Offence
The waste was abandoned on land at Blakenhall Resource Centre in Haggar Street, Wolverhampton, on April 29 last year. The dumping occurred the night before and was captured on CCTV cameras monitoring the site. The footage showed a white van with its number plates covered reversing onto the site, and a man tipping household and garden waste, a bag of vegetation, and an armchair from the van.
The offence was reported to Wolverhampton Council's environmental crime team, but the vehicle could not be traced due to the hidden plates. However, a similar van was spotted driving in Deansfield Road by a flytipping officer the next day. The officer followed the vehicle and noted a broken rear light that matched images of the van in the flytipping incident. The officer took the registration of the vehicle, and checks named the registered keeper and insurance holder as Garner.
Court Proceedings
Garner was found guilty of controlling a vehicle responsible for fly-tipping offences at Dudley Magistrates' Court. He was ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work with 20 rehabilitation days. Additionally, he was banned from driving for six months, ordered to pay costs of £1,000, and his vehicle was seized.
During the hearing, Garner denied that the van shown in the footage was his or that he was the man in the CCTV. When asked about a notebook found in the van with details of a waste job in Caledonia Road, All Saints, including a phone number and “£250 DONE”, Garner refused to comment.
Council Response
City resident services boss Councillor Qaiser Azeem said: “This was an involved case for our officers with a lot of information-gathering to bring a prosecution. Despite the evidence shown to Garner, he continued to deny any involvement in the flytipping. But he was found guilty by magistrates who were satisfied the vehicle used to commit the offence was his.”
He added: “Anyone thinking of carrying out this thoughtless crime needs to realise that we will do all we can to find you and take action. We will also highlight what has happened as a warning to others thinking of doing the same. Our officers work incredibly hard to keep the city clean, and their efforts should not be undermined by the careless actions of a few individuals. Residents, businesses, and visitors alike deserve to enjoy clean, green spaces.”
Shop a Tipper Campaign
The council is running its Shop a Tipper campaign, where anyone suspected of dumping rubbish will have their images shared online to appeal for information to help identify them. Residents who give tip-offs which lead to a prosecution or fines for a culprit will receive a £100 gift card. Information can be provided by calling 01902 552 700 or reporting online at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/fly-tipping.
