Sheffield waste cowboy to pay £2,000 for Rotherham fly-tipping

Daniel Lee Hurst, (25), of Rainbow Way, pleaded guilty to fly tipping waste at Back Lane, Nether Haugh, last August.

Sheffield Magistrates heard that Rotherham Borough Council enforcement officers were called to a large amount of packaging waste blocking the road.

Investigations traced the waste to a Wombwell resident, who told officers he hired a contractor for £100 through the Flog It Barnsley Facebook group.

Officers then spoke to Hurst, operating as DC Garden Maintenance, who claimed online to be fully licensed.

But investigations showed that neither Hurst nor the company held a valid waste carriers' licence.

Appearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on March 27, Hurst was fined £1,200 and ordered to pay £584.10 costs, with a victim surcharge of £120.

Tom Smith, Rotherham Council’s assistant director for community safety and Street Scene, said: “Once again, we would urge members of the public to be very cautious when using social media to engage the services of a contractor to remove waste.

“Genuine contractors will have been issued with a licence by the Environment Agency.

“If in doubt, members of the public can check on the gov.uk website.”

Visit bit.ly/2qARJqA to check whether a contractor holds a waste licence.