Shrewsbury men convicted for flytipping
Two Shrewsbury men have been convicted of flytipping following an investigation by Shropshire Council.
On Thursday 25 February 2016 Simon Gurdziel was convicted of flytipping after he was caught on camera dumping household waste on public land at York Road, Harlescott in Shrewsbury on Tuesday 10 February 2015. An accomplice – Thomas Piatek – was in court yesterday (Thursday 3 March 2016) and was also convicted of a flytipping offence.
The York Road area had seen a number of flytips throughout the autumn and winter of 2014/15 which prompted Shropshire Council, working with colleagues in the Shrewsbury Crime & Disorder Partnership, to use deployable CCTV there.
The camera captured Mr Piatek dumping a sofa onto land close to garages at York Road. Shortly afterwards, the two men were seen dumping several bags of household waste at the same spot from the back of a van.
Simon Gurdziel appeared at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court on Thursday 25 February 2016 following an investigation by Shropshire Council’s environmental maintenance team. He was ordered to pay a fine of £530, with £1,000 costs and a £53 victim surcharge.
Thomas Piatek was found guilty on Thursday 3 March 2016 for flytipping the sofa, and was fined £320, with £937 costs and a £32 victim surcharge.
In total, both men stand to pay out £2,872 for dumping a sofa and some bags of mixed household waste.
Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transportation, said:
“We are very pleased that the courts have found for the council in both these cases. Flytipping costs us a huge amount every year, is unnecessary and is hazardous to people and the environment.
“Shropshire Council will continue to pursue any wrongdoers wherever possible.”
Anyone wishing to report flytipping, or wanting to find out the legitimate routes for recycling or disposing of waste, should contact the council on 0345 678 9000.
