A 42 year old man from Rednal has been ordered to pay almost £2000 after being caught on CCTV dumping rubbish in a Small Heath street on two separate occassions.
Mohammed Harun pleaded guilty to three offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 during a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (16 September 2021).
The court heard that the male driver of a Toyota Yaris car was filmed dumping waste onto Baker Street on 7th and 22th July of last year.
On 7 July, a large quantity of loose plastic sheeting, carpet cuttings and three black bin bags containing carpet were dumped on the road.
During the 22 July incident, black bin bags and tree cuttings were dumped at the same location.
As the registered keeper of the car, Mr Harun was issued with two notices from Birmingha City Council, requesting the details of the individual/s in control and driving his vehicle on the dates in question but failed to respond.
He was also sent a letter advising him a report was being submitted in respect of the waste offences, offering him an opportunity to respond, should he wish to make any comments.
However, no response was received.
In mitigation at court, Harun stated that he did not know he should not dump the waste. He had seen others do it and thought it would be ok.
His explanation for not responding to the notice was that he did not understand it, but accepted he did not seek help. He further stated that he was currently unemployed and in receipt of universal credit. He has five children aged 17, 13, 11, 8 and 5 and said that his wife (also unemployed) is pregnant with their sixth child.
In finding him guilty of depositing the waste and failing to provide information that was requested about who was in control of the vehicle on the two dates, the court issued a fine of £1,200 (£500 each for the two incidents of dumping and a further £200 for failing to provide information on Statutory Demand). The court also ordered him to pay £753 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
Cllr John O’Shea, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Parks at Birmingham City Council, said: “Sadly this is another case which demonstrates the disrespect a small number of people have for our shared environment.
“But it shows when we have the standard of evidence needed to bring a prosecution against environmental criminals, we will not hesitate to bring those responsible to justice.
“The case also shows how important the new CCTV cameras and Grime Watch YouTube series we are investing in this year will be as we make every effort to deliver on one of the key priorities for the people of Birmingham – cleaner, greener, streets.”
Anyone with any information on dumped waste in the city is urged to contact the council’s Waste Enforcement Team directly via www.birmingham.gov.uk/flytipping