Two men have been fined over £1,500 after pleading guilty at Basingstoke Magistrates Court to unlawfully depositing waste in June last year.
The two individuals were caught on CCTV dumping household waste in the private car park behind Two Spoons Bistro & Bar in Fleet. The CCTV footage and a statement were shared with Hart District Council, allowing them to identify the men.
No response was received to initial letters, resulting in Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) being issued. Court summons were served when neither of these notices were paid, one of which was returned undelivered as the man had moved out of the district.
Following further work by the Hart District Council team to locate him, an ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) check conducted by Hampshire Constabulary found the vehicle being regularly driven in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. North Kesteven District Council were then able to identify a current address for the summons to be sent to.
After one defendant failed to appear at an initial hearing date in May, an arrest warrant was issued. This was withdrawn after the man contacted the Council and a new court date issued for 4 June 2025.
Both men appeared in person at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on 4 June claiming they did not know leaving rubbish in this location was a crime. Both entered early guilty pleas to an offence under Section 33(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (unlawful deposit of waste).
The Magistrate considered their early pleas and lack of prior offences but also noted the time of the offence (10:20pm) and the apparent attempt to obscure their identities (wearing hooded jackets).
One man was fined £609, ordered to pay a £244 victim surcharge, and £964 in costs - a total of £1,817. The other was fined £707, ordered to pay a £283 victim surcharge, and £1287 in costs - a total of £2,277.
Councillor Tina Collins, Portfolio Holder for Regulatory, said “This case shows the efforts our fly-tipping team at Hart District Council will go to when identifying those dumping rubbish in our district.
“Through their hard work and excellent partnership working with other organisations, they’ve achieved a great result and shown you can run but you can’t hide from fines or court actions.”