Rugby woman fined £400 after hiring 'man in a van' to remove rubbish from her home

A woman has been fined £400 for ‘duty of care’ offences over a blatant fly-tipping incident under tough new measures imposed by Harborough council.

The woman, in her 40s and from Rugby, hired a ‘man in a van’ to remove rubbish from her home - but failed to check if he held a valid waste carrier’s licence.

The man then dumped the waste in Gallowfield Road, near Gartree Prison, to the north of Market Harborough.

But a special Harborough council team carried out a meticulous investigation after they found the rubbish piled up on Wednesday April 28.

And they managed to trace the waste back to the woman’s home in Rugby.

The woman was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for £400 – a third more than the previous £300 penalty for the same offence.

The council is urging people to stay vigilant and use only reputable contractors - and, if in doubt, don’t risk it.

Cllr Jonathan Bateman, Harborough council’s Cabinet lead for environment and waste, said: “If anyone has failed to check that a person, or business, removing waste from their property is allowed to by law, and that rubbish is fly-tipped, they will now receive an increased fine.

“It is therefore crucial people ask questions and demand to see a valid waste carrier’s licence, or check on the Environment Agency website, before allowing waste to be removed.”

There are several ways to dispose of the waste that cannot go into wheeled bins:

Take large waste items to your local recycling and waste site (tip)

Use a licensed waste carrier to remove your waste - it is a legal requirement to use a licensed waste carrier (you can also check if someone has a licence on the Environment Agency website)

The Council’s large waste items for collection service allows for up to three large household items or 12 sacks of waste to be collected for a charge of £35.04.

For further advice visit www.harborough.gov.uk/tip-off