Beeston resident guilty of fly-tipping hit with three-month curfew

A resident of Beeston has been hit with a three-month curfew and a financial penalty after pleading guilty to a number of fly-tipping offences.

Mr Yadson Barroso of Westbourne Avenue was ordered to pay £200 towards costs and a surcharge of £60 at Leeds Magistrates Court after pleading guilty this month to four offences in relation to the dumping of rubbish, wood and household waste in three local streets. As part of the court ruling, Mr Barroso will also be subject to a curfew for three months through a Community Order that will mean he cannot leave his property between the hours of 8pm and 6am. This was imposed by the magistrate as an additional penalty to meet the total costs of both the prosecution and level of his offences.

In order to secure the prosecution, the council used information provided by a number of local residents who witnessed the waste being deposited on Rowland Road, Ingleton Street and Westbourne Place.

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, Leeds City Council’s executive member for environment and sustainability, said:

“We have a strict no tolerance policy of fly-tipping and anyone who is caught can be guaranteed they will face action from the council.

“This can include a fine, prosecution through the courts, and even as we saw in this particular case, the perpetrators also facing a curfew through a Community Order as an additional means to meet the costs associated with their behaviour.”

“With Christmas coming up and household rubbish larger than usual, there might be a temptation for some residents to try to dispose of their additional waste in a way that does not use the services we provide. Regardless of the reasons, fly-tipping rubbish should never be considered as an option for people to dispose of their waste given the terrible eyesore it creates in our local communities, and we will not hesitate to use all of the tools at our disposal to ensure those responsible are held to account.”

Notes to editors:

A range of organisations across Leeds can collect and re-use good quality furniture you no longer want. Items can also be donated for re-use at the council’s recycling centres or Revive, at the east Leeds recycling centre. The council also offers a bulky waste service. For more information see http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Bulky-item-collection-service.aspx.

Flytippers can be fined up to £50,000 or given a 12 months prison sentence if convicted by magistrates. If convicted at crown court, offenders can face an unlimited fine and up to five years imprisonment.

Councils now have powers to issue fixed penalty notices of between £150 to £400 for small-scale fly-tipping offences instead of prosecution.

To find out if there are any changes to your bin collections over the festive period, please see: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Check-your-bin-day.aspx

You can also check your bin days on the move and get reminders straight to your phone thanks to a new phone app. For more details, please see: https://datamillnorth.org/products/leeds-bins/

For media enquiries, please contact;

Colin Dickinson, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 39 51578

Email: colin.dickinson@leeds.gov.uk