Van Driver Fined £1,653 for Fly-tipping Bathroom Waste

A van driver has been fined after waste from a bathroom refurbishment project was found fly-tipped near a picnic area and beauty spot, Swansea Magistrates Court has heard.

Richard Marc Holland, aged 47, of Jersey Road, Bonymaen, Swansea, was fined £153 and ordered to pay £1,500 in prosecution costs plus a £61 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The waste was discovered on 18th October 2022 near the Mosshouse Woods reservoir off Fairyland Road in Neath when eagle-eyed members of the public became suspicious of a tipper-style van’s activities. At the reservoir picnic site, they found bathroom fittings including a broken toilet, sink, and shower screens dumped amongst other items.

Council officers traced the waste to a house which had undergone bathroom refurbishment and located the van owner, who said Holland was using the vehicle at the time.

During interview at Neath Civic Centre, Holland accepted he was controlling the van but denied dumping the waste, claiming he had taken it to a skip. He told officers: “Someone must have placed the waste back in the vehicle from the skip and travelled to the location and deposited it.”

However, the court heard that under section 33 of the 1990 Act, the person in control of a vehicle carrying controlled waste is considered to be knowingly causing the waste to be deposited – even without direct instructions – if waste is deposited from the vehicle.

Councillor Scott Jones, Neath Port Talbot Council’s cabinet member for street scene, said after sentencing: “I’d like to thank the members of the public for their community-spirited action in initially bringing this matter to our attention. Fly tipping is a crime against our environment and we will pursue a prosecution either in court or via a fixed penalty notice. We take this nationwide issue extremely seriously and will continue to have a zero-tolerance approach.” ⚖️