Man fined and ordered to pay more than £1700 for dumping carpet in a ditch near Henley

South Oxfordshire District Council has successfully prosecuted a 34-year-old man from Finchampstead in Berkshire for dumping leftover carpet in a drainage ditch in a village near Henley.

Valeriu Manoli, from Roycroft Lane, Finchampstead, appeared at Oxford Magistrates Court on Friday 8 September and pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully depositing waste on land at Row Lane, Binfield Heath. He was ordered to pay £1,723 in fines and costs.

Magistrates heard that on 1 February this year, carpets, underlay, carpet grippers, cardboard packaging, and other household waste were found dumped on a grass verge and in a drainage ditch in Binfield Health.

The fly tip also included a letter with Mr Manoli’s home address. This led to a council environmental enforcement officer subsequently interviewing Mr Manoli. He admitted to the officer under caution to unlawfully depositing the waste at the site on Monday 30 January. 

The waste was left over after carpet had been fitted at Mr Manoli’s house. He planned to put it in a skip at his work to save money, but he was not allowed to do so. Instead, he fly tipped the carpet on the night of Monday 30 January despite the fact there is a recycling centre a 19-minute journey from his house.

In mitigation, Mr Manoli apologised to the court and said he would not repeat his actions. 

Cllr Sue Cooper, South Oxfordshire District Council cabinet member for Environment said: “There are no excuses for fly tipping. It poses a danger to wildlife, and in some cases human health, and costs UK council tax payers millions of pounds to clear up each year. We will always prosecute fly tippers wherever possible.”

Notes to editors

In sentencing, Magistrates imposed a fine of £864.  They ordered him to pay £514 towards prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £345.00 = total £1723.00. More information on how to stay legal when using waste carriers