Bedford Borough Council’s Enviro Crime team has secured a series of successful prosecutions at Luton Magistrates Court this January, reinforcing the Council’s commitment to keeping the Borough clean and tackling crimes against the local environment.
The cases saw offenders ordered to pay a combined total of more than £7,000 in fines, costs, and victim surcharges for offences including fly-tipping, vehicle abandonment, and highway obstruction in Bedford and Elstow.
Those prosecuted were:
- GTG Civils Ltd of Tilbury - found guilty in their absence and ordered to pay £3,540 after abandoning a silver Peugeot on Ampthill Road, Bedford, in February last year.
- Vasilica Cojic of Bedford - found guilty in their absence and ordered to pay £2,014 for failing to attend Council offices to answer questions after a van-sized amount of her waste was found dumped near Cople.
- Breda Doherty of Bedford - ordered to pay £2,072 after pleading guilty to dumping parts of a broken-up sofa in Ampthill Road, Bedford, on two occasions in July last year.
- Tim Sage of Bedford - ordered to pay £1,424 for obstructing the highway by leaving an unattached caravan parked on Firbank Road for an extended period of time.
These offences breach laws designed to protect both residents and the local environment, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, Refuse Disposal Amenity Act 1978, and Highways Act 1980.
Councillor Phillippa Martin-Moran-Bryant, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regulatory Services, said, “These prosecutions send a clear message: Bedford Borough Council will not tolerate acts that damage our environment or blight our communities. Fly-tipping and vehicle abandonment are not victimless crimes, they harm our neighbourhoods and cost the public. By standing firm and taking offenders to court, we are protecting our local environment and supporting residents who take pride in where they live.”
The Council continues to encourage residents to dispose of their waste correctly. Large household items can be taken to Bedford Borough’s Household Waste Recycling Centre at Barkers Lane, and bulky waste collections can be booked online for a convenient home collection. The Council can also remove and dispose of unwanted vehicles (including caravans) for a charge.
For more information, visit:
- Household Waste Recycling Centre: www.bedford.gov.uk/hwrc
- Bulky waste collections: www.bedford.gov.uk/bulkywaste
- Unwanted vehicles: www.bedford.gov.uk/unwanted-vehicles
Residents can also help by reporting fly-tipping and other environmental crimes at www.bedford.gov.uk/Fly-Tipping