Havant fly-tipping: Waste collectors fined

Three men have been fined and handed suspended sentences for fly-tipping, including rubbish from a church and a housing association.

The Environment Agency said it cost £100,000 to clear the dumped waste in Hulbert Road, Havant, Hampshire.

The prosecution followed an investigation into the fly-tipping site, discovered in September 2018.

Daniel Worboys, Jason Newman and Sidney Simpson, all from Portsmouth, admitted illegally dumping the rubbish.

At Portsmouth Magistrates' Court, the three pleaded guilty to illegal deposit of waste, failure to respond to notice and failure to keep transfer notes.

Worboys, 31, of Falmouth Road, Portsmouth and trading as "Rubbish Clearance Portsmouth", was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £1,500 compensation.

Simpson, 42, of Haslemere Road, Southsea and trading as "S&S Clearances", was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment suspended for 12 months and must pay £1,000 in compensation.

Newman, 48, of Conan Road, Portsmouth and trading as "What a Load of Rubbish", was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation.

In its statement, the Environment Agency said that the trading name used by Mr Newman, "What a Load of Rubbish", has no connection to any company of the same or similar name.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said officers discovered about 40 different tips on the site and the waste had been dumped from a number of small vehicles.

He said: "The waste site caused problems for the environment with some of the waste catching fire, causing toxic smoke and some... had entered the local stream. It cost around £100,000 to clear the site.

"Their actions showed blatant disregard for the environment. These waste criminals also undermine legitimate businesses.

"We all have a part to play in stopping waste crime. We encourage the public to ask to see their waste collector's waste carriers' registration and demand a waste transfer note, which states where they are taking the waste to be disposed."

Note: This is an updated version of an article originally published on 13 August 2019.