A landlord from Grimsby has been found guilty of failing to remove fly-tipping and fined a total of £956.
Kenneth Goudie is accused of failing to comply with a Section 215 Notice under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 which instructs property owners to remove waste from their land if it is deemed to be causing a nuisance.
Failure to comply led to a hearing at Grimsby Magistrates Court. Goudie did not attend, buthe was proven guilty in his absence.
As a result, he has been ordered to pay a fine of £440, victim surcharge of £176 and legal costs of £340, totalling £956.
A council spokesperson says: “This case is the perfect example of how we are a zero tolerance Council. Fly-tipping will not be tolerated in North East Lincolnshire.
“Whether you have dumped the waste or own the land it has been left on, you still have a responsibility. I hope this is a lesson to those who feel they can dump their waste anywhere.”
The empty property came to the attention of North East Lincolnshire Council in September 2024 after numerous fridges and other items had been fly-tipped in the front garden.
Officers tried several times to get in touch with the landlord, issuing him with warning letters, but he allegedly did not respond. Therefore, he was issued the Section 215 Notice.
This requires the property owner to remove and clear any waste that may be causing issue or nuisance to neighbouring properties or the wider community, even if they have not put the waste there themselves. However, he failed to remove the items and was therefore prosecuted in court.
This article is taken from Landlord Today