Woman fined for dumping pile of litter in a Sunderland back lane

A woman who left a pile of rubbish in a back lane in Sunderland after moving out of her home has been fined £350.
The rubbish that was flytipped in a back laneThe rubbish that was flytipped in a back lane
The rubbish that was flytipped in a back lane

The rubbish was left at the rear of Darwin Street, Southwick, and discovered by City Council enforcement officers on Tuesday, February 12.

Waste was traced to the property and the owner of the house told the council she had asked the tenant not to dispose of waste in the back lane.

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Despite this request, the items were put out, causing a nuisance and appearing unsightly.

The tenant was interviewed at her new address by an enforcement officer and admitted depositing the waste in the rear lane.

In her interview, she believed the bin men would remove the rubbish two days later when her next collection was due.

The tenant was given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £350, as an alternative to a fly-tipping prosecution.

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Councillor Amy Wilson, the City Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: "Leaving your waste and rubbish out like this is unacceptable. We all have a duty to dispose of or present our waste for collection in a timely, appropriate and legal manner.

This was none of those things, and I think a lot of people would also say it was very un-neighbourly too."

If a Fixed Penalty Notice is not paid, residents can be prosecuted at court for the Unlawful Deposit of Waste contrary to S.33 Environmental Protection Act (1990) – otherwise known as fly-tipping.

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Anyone who sees items they think have been fly-tipped on a street or green space can contact Sunderland City Council to arrange its removal either by reporting it online at sunderland.gov.uk or by calling 0191 520 5550.