Fly-tipping conviction sends clear message

8 month prison sentence for fly tipper

A serial fly tipper has received an eight-month custodial sentence following investigations by three Local Authorities, including Southampton City Council’s Environmental Protection team.

The sentence was handed down at Southampton Magistrate’s Court on 11 June after Matthew James Hunt, of Southampton, pleaded guilty to nine offences contrary to S.33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and not guilty to one other charge.

Southampton City Council successfully prosecuted Hunt for two cases, while both New Forest District Council and Test Valley Borough Council both prosecuted Hunt for four cases each, with NFDC accepting Hunt’s not guilty plea for one of the offences.

Enforcement Protection Officers in Southampton began investigating Hunt in September 2020, after a male was seen unloading waste from a truck in Oakbank Lorry Park on 14 September. A witness took photographs and video footage and further investigation, working with the Police, identified Hunt as a suspect.

More evidence against Hunt was gathered after a male collected waste from an address in Southampton on 16 September 2020, which was subsequently found fly tipped at Oakbank Lorry Park on the 22 September 2020. Further enquiries identified Hunt as a suspect.

After hearing the facts and mitigation District Judge Anthony Callaway passed sentence as follows:

• 2 months custody for each of the two SCC matters and the TVBC matter, concurrent to each other but consecutive to the other sentences.
• 4 months custody for the NFDC fly-tipping of the 5 July (during which Hunt threatened a member of the public with a crowbar).
• 2 months custody for each of other two NFDC matters, concurrent to each other, but consecutive to the other sentences.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Steven Galton, said: "I’d like to extend my thanks to our Environmental Protection team, our Legal Services team and the Police, as well as Test Valley’s and New Forest’s Environmental Health teams, who have all worked together closely to build this case and secure this conviction.

"Fly-tipping is a crime and this sentence underlines how seriously it is taken. Under the new Conservative administration, Southampton City Council will pro-actively target fly-tipping to prevent and investigate offences. Rest assured we will use every power available to pursue offenders and secure convictions.

"Clearing up fly-tipping costs everyone money. If you’re looking to book a Waste Carrier to dispose of rubbish then make sure to check that they are licensed, which you can do via the fly tipping webpages."