Portsmouth man caught dumping rubbish on road slapped with £809 fine

Resident Christopher Cleal pleaded guilty to flytipping offences and was made to pay a £809 fine following a probe by Portsmouth City Council.

Street enforcement officers found evidence proving Cleal’s involvement in rubbish dumped in Duke Crescent, Buckland, which included discarded bins, broken ironing board, sacks of rubbish, and furniture.

More than 400 fines have now been handed out since the creation of the council’s new clean city team, who are on the prowl for offenders.

The move comes amid concerns fly-tipping could rise following the decision to charge people to get rid of DIY waste at the Port Solent rubbish tip, in line with Hampshire waste centres.

Tory environment boss, Councillor Rob New, said: ‘There is no excuse for dumping unwanted rubbish, which could have easily been taken to a household recycling centre for free.

‘Local residents shouldn’t have to put up with their properties blighted by rubbish and council services spent clearing up other people’s waste.

‘New powers for prosecuting fly-tippers means those responsible will face much harsher fines. Mr Cleal knew what he was doing was wrong and pleaded guilty at court.

‘Also make sure if you arrange for rubbish to be taken away you use a reputable company, as new fines prosecute the person responsible for any items found fly-tipped.

‘The good news is we’ve seen huge reduction in bulky waste being dumped in housing estates, and we’re continuing to clamp down on fly-tipping by issuing over 400 fines since the new clean city team was formed.’

As reported, the county council has halted cutting opening times at their waste sites due to confusion over government policy, and potential cuts to the Port Solent site could be suspended until October next year pending the outcome of a meeting on Thursday.