Plumber fined after bathroom materials found dumped

A Ferryside plumber is almost £1,000 out of pocket after waste material from a bathroom refurbishment was illegally dumped at the gates of a local scrap dealer.

Jason Thomas, of Hall Terrace, pleaded guilty at Llanelli Magistrates Court to an offence under the Environmental Protection Act after waste was fly-tipped outside Jacko’s Yard in Broadlay, Ferryside, on September 15 last year (2020).

Carmarthenshire County Council investigated the case and brought the prosecution after being contacted by the yard owner who said access to his property had been blocked.

Amongst the three toilets, a sink and bags of bathroom tiles, was packaging linked to an address in Llandeilo where Jason Thomas had recently been working as well as invoices addressed to people working for him.

Thomas said he regularly leaves scrap waste at the yard with the consent of the owner but said he did not leave the bathroom waste there and claimed he was out of the area at the time of the offence.

However, he accepted full responsibility as the person with a duty of care for the waste and was fined £500, ordered to pay costs of £394 and a victim surcharge of £50.

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by fine or even imprisonment.

Everyone’s waste must be safely, legally and responsibly disposed of, and anyone employing someone else to take their waste away is legally responsible for checking that they are properly registered.

Details can be checked at naturalresources.wales/checkwaste.

People are advised to take simple measures such as asking for proof of registration, making note of the date, type of waste, the waste carrier’s details and vehicle registration, and asking where the waste will be taken.

A registered waste carrier’s licence number begins with CBD and ends with 1 to 6 numbers – legitimate and responsible waste operators will be happy to provide this information.