Man fined for fly-tipping in back lane

A LLANELLI man has been fined £295 by the courts for fly-tipping in a back lane.

Steven Jones was also ordered to pay £641.38 prosecution costs and a £15 victim surcharge by Carmarthen magistrates.

The 29-year-old, of Heol Dderwen, pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that Jones had been paid £50 to dispose of a number of bags of rubbish and a bed but had dumped it in the lane to the rear of Coronation Road.

Council environmental enforcement officers investigated after receiving a complaint of fly-tipping in the lane on February 29 last year.

The officers wrote to Jones on three separate occasions and went to his home address twice to ask him to attend an interview. However, he failed to respond to the letters or attend an interview which had been pre-arranged with him.

Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said he hoped the case would help to raise awareness that fly-tipping is a criminal offence.

The council receives a large number of complaints from residents about the state of the back lanes in Llanelli.

Householders are being urged help keep the lanes clean and tidy and report anyone they see fly-tipping.

Cllr Jones said: “The council is committed to tackling fly-tipping, which unfortunately is a problem in the rear lanes of Llanelli. It is totally unacceptable and unfair to residents who have to put up with this appalling mess on their doorstep. As soon as the lanes are cleaned up, they are back in the same state in no time.

“We all have a part to play in keeping our communities clean and I would urge anyone with any information which may help to catch offenders to please contact the council. We will not hesitate to prosecute those responsible.”