Man ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work after pleading guilty to two fly-tips
An Oxfordshire man was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,275 after he was successfully prosecuted by South Oxfordshire District Council following two fly-tips in the Benson and Oakley Wood areas.
Andrew Hambidge, aged 30, of Hampden Square, Upper Heyford appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday (2 July) and pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful deposit of waste.
On Tuesday 30 June 2020 South Oxfordshire District Council was made aware of two incidents of fly-tipping on land at Brixton Hill, Benson and the Old Icknield Way, Oakley Wood. The council’s envirocrime team investigated and evidence led the team to Mr Hambidge.
He had been paid £85 to clear a large amount of household waste and take it to a recycling centre.
He was subsequently interviewed by council officers and admitted depositing the waste at both locations. He was very apologetic.
District Judge Rana heard the case at the magistrates’ court, including how both fly tips were a short distance away from Oakley Wood Recycling Centre, and the environmental and financial impact that these types of acts had on the community and the council. In mitigation she heard that the accused was really sorry and that these incidents were completely out of character.
In sentencing, District Judge Rana said that she took a dim view of this behaviour and considered that the aggravating features of the case were the quantity of rubbish dumped, which was unsightly and anti-social, and his deception to the people he had been paid by, because when asked he told them that he had disposed of the waste at the recycling centre.
She found that culpability was deliberate, but took into his account his early guilty plea, his remorse and previous good character.
Mr Hambidge was ordered to carry out a 12-month community order during which time he was to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £1,180 and a victim surcharge of £95.
Cllr David Rouane, cabinet member for housing and environment at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “There is no excuse for fly-tipping, it is a blight on the landscape, a danger to wildlife and it is council taxpayers who ultimately pay for it to be cleaned up. The council will always investigate fly-tips and we hope this prosecution will be a deterrent to others.”
If you see a flytip please report it on our webpage here
