A man who was filmed fly-tipping near where he lived has been successfully prosecuted by Crawley Borough Council.

Peter Harpham, of Waterside Close, Bewbush pleaded guilty to an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (11 July).

In April 2017, the council received an anonymous tip-off that a man was fly-tipping in a residential car park in Gasson Wood Road, Bewbush. Community Wardens attended the scene and were provided with video footage by a witness, which showed a large amount of rubbish being dumped from the back of a tipper van.

An investigation led by the council’s Fraud Team gathered evidence which identified Mr Harpham as the culprit and the van he used in the fly-tipping was uninsured, untaxed and without an MOT.

Mr Harpham was sentenced by the court to a 12 month Community Order and ordered to pay £171 in compensation, which was the cost of clearing up the rubbish. In addition, he also received a 12 month driving disqualification and a three month curfew.

The council hopes the prosecution will serve as a reminder that incidents of fly-tipping are taken extremely seriously and that it will take the firmest of action where it has the evidence to do so. All residents have a duty of care to ensure their waste is disposed of properly and legally.

Leader of Crawley Borough Council, Councillor Peter Lamb, said: “The council will always work to use its powers and resources as effectively as possible to maintain the attractive appearance of our town. This is a great result for the many council officers who have worked to put a stop to this sort of unacceptable behaviour.”

The Community Wardens will investigate all reports of fly-tipping and can be contacted on 07884 492324.