Bolton Council has sent a clear message that dumping rubbish in back streets will not be tolerated after a trio of discarded boxes cost one resident in excess of £2,000.
When he was first approached by council enforcement officers in September, Asif Bhutawala admitted leaving the boxes at the rear of his property in Roseberry Street, Bolton.
But he would later change his story, refusing to pay the £80 fixed penalty notice and instead insisting on taking the case to trial at Bolton Magistrates’ Court.
Bhutawala, 32, represented himself in court and received multiple warnings about his behaviour during the trial.
The defendant argued his own mother had been one who dumped the boxes and at one stage even called her as a witness to give evidence.
Magistrates considered this claim against photographic evidence and contemporaneous notes taken by the council’s officers, including the details of Bhutawala’s original confession.
The court found him guilty of the flytipping offence.
He received a fine of £700 and must pay £1,377.98 in court costs together with a £70 victim surcharge.
Tackling the blight of rubbish dumped in our streets and public spaces is a major priority for this council.
Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Environmental Regulatory Services, Cllr Anne Galloway, said:
“Tackling the blight of rubbish dumped in our streets and public spaces is a major priority for this council.
“Whether it is roadside littering or industrial scale flytipping, the principle remains the same and we will take a zero-tolerance approach to those responsible.
“Larger items that will not fit in a household bin can be taken to the local tip or removed via the council’s bulky waste service.”
Flytipping can be reported on the council’s website.
Bulky waste collections can be booked online.