Fly-tipping Pic Lynee Hand

A woman has been fined over £500 for fly-tipping after a Croydon enforcement officer identified her from a prescription she left in her rubbish.

Iesha Price of Shelgate Road, Battersea, was one of several people to dump rubbish on land opposite Reeves Corner in Croydon in January.

She was initially given a fixed penalty notice but, after failing to make payment and missing a court date, she was fined £535 when she finally surrendered herself and pleaded guilty.

Croydon Councillor Simon Hoar, cabinet member for community safety and public protection, said that there was no excuse for fly-tipping in the borough and that offenders “will be issued with a fine to remind them that it is not only antisocial, but also illegal.”

He added: “Failure to pay will result in court action and a far bigger fine as the courts also frown on such behaviour.”

According to the council, dumping waste illegally can carry a fine of up to £50,000 or a prison sentence of up to five years.

Reeves Corner, Croydon Pic: Google Maps

The council’s ‘Keep it Clean’ campaign has invested £100,000 to combat fly-tipping, including offering surveillance in areas where offences are common. They have also launched a free mobile phone app called ‘My Croydon’ to make it easier for residents to report the crime.

According to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, local authorities have dealt with over 711,000 incidents of fly-tipping in 2012 and 2013, with over two thirds of incidents involving household waste.

The estimated cost of clearing fly-tipping by local authorities was £36.4 million for 2012 and 2013. There were over 2,200 prosecutions for the offence during the year.