"We have a zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping. Perpetrators will be caught and they will be punished."
That is the no-nonsense mantra of Councillor Maddi Bridgeman, Cabinet member for the Environment and Street Scene, after two more fly-tippers were fined by Plymouth Magistrates Court on Monday.
"Fly-tipping in this city must be stopped. We will continue to do investigate it; we will continue to pursue the culprits and we will continue to prosecute until it is understood that it is not acceptable in Plymouth.
"There's absolutely no excuse."
First before the court was 32 year-old David Jeffery of Colwill Road who pleaded guilty to his crime.
It was heard how in January 2021, the Council received a complaint about a dumped trampoline (pictured above) on a grass verge behind Colwill Road.
The Council used a Google satellite image to ascertain that a trampoline of similar description was previously located in a nearby garden.
As the owner of the garden, Jeffery was contacted and initially denied he was responsible for the trampoline. He subsequently accepted responsibility and was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £400 but after several reminders and prompting phone calls, it went unpaid, resulting in a summons to court.
Jeffery was fined £400, ordered to pay costs of £200 and slapped with a £40 victim surcharge.
Daryl Rossouw, 56, of Clayton Road, also appeared before Magistrates to plead guilty.
The court heard how in November 2020, Council refuse collectors came across a load of household waste, including carpets, black sacks, soft furnishings and white bags (pictured above) in the rear lane behind Clayton Road.
While inspecting the fly-tip, they were approached by a member of the public who stated he had witnessed an adult male and child throwing waste over the rear wall from a property. They then moved the waste across the lane to an opposite wall.
The house in question was quickly identified as belonging to Rossouw and so he was sent a formal Interview Under Caution letter. The letter was returned in which Rossouw confirmed it was his waste and he had dumped it.
Like Jeffery, Rossouw was immediately issued with a fixed penalty notice for £400 but despite reminders, it went unpaid, resulting in a summons to court.
Rossouw, who argued that he was of limited means, was ordered to pay a fine of £400, £100 in costs and a victim surcharge of £40.
Both Jeffery and Rossouw will now carry a criminal record.
Councillor Bridgeman added: "The thing that makes me cross about this is that both of these cases could have been avoided if both defendants had just done the right thing like most other, law-abiding residents.
“It’s not difficult. Most people can manage it and those who can’t will be punished.”