Published: Friday, 3rd May 2019
Warrington is continuing its crack down on people who illegally dispose of waste, with another successful prosecution.
Steven Wilson, 37, of Lincoln Close, Warrington, was prosecuted for failing to provide details, when a vehicle of which he was the registered keeper was involved in waste being dumped illegally.
The council received a report of a male repeatedly depositing waste illegally in and around commercial waste bins on School Brow, which are paid for by a local business. A witness provided the vehicle details to the council’s environmental crime team.
Officers were able to identify the registered keeper of the vehicle as Mr Wilson, who was subsequently served a notice, asking him to provide the name of the driver at the time of the incident. Mr Wilson did not respond and was prosecuted for not providing these details.
Mr Wilson failed to attend court on 24 April and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested on 26 April and put before Warrington Magistrates Court. He pleaded guilty and was fined £120, plus costs of £550 and a victim surcharge of £30.
Where a vehicle is involved in a crime the vehicle registration, make, and colour of the vehicle can be used to find the registered keeper when a witness is prepared to provide a statement. A lack of response will result in environmental crime officers legally pursuing the registered keeper, where they’re able to do so.
Warrington Borough Council’s director of public health, Dr Muna Abdel Aziz, said: “The public are our eyes and ears and can make a real difference by providing our environmental crime team with any useful information in these cases, such as vehicle make, colour and registration, or a description of the person seen committing the crime.
“We all have a responsibility to keep Warrington clean and tidy, and I would urge the public to continue to work with us to identify those who show such disregard for our borough with these actions.”
Environmental crimes can be reported to the council online at warrington.gov.uk/report.
