VIDEO: Court fine for Wombwell woodland pigeon poo dumper

A FLY-TIPPER who was caught on camera dumping pigeon poo in woods near Wombwell has been landed with a court bill of more than £1,500.

Alexander Cunliffe of Cherrys Road, Barnsley, appeared before magistrates in Barnsley on Thursday and admitted dumping the waste in May in Wombwell Woods.

He had previously visited a household waste recycling centre and was advised to bag up the waste so that it could be legally disposed of but went on to dump it illegally.

Barnsley Council’s enforcement team used their delegated powers to seize the vehicle used while the investigation was carried out. 

CCTV footage shown to the court showed Cunliffe emptying wheelie bins from the back of his van.

In court, magistrates told Cunliffe that fly-tipping was a serious matter and only the fact he was of previous good character saved him from losing his vehicle and driving licence.

Cunliffe was fined £480 and a victim surcharge of £48. 

He was also ordered to pay costs of £953.88 to cover investigation time, recovery and storage of his vehicle, legal costs and £50 compensation to clear up the waste, totalling £1531.88. 

Cllr Jenny Platts, Barnsley Council’s cabinet spokesperson for communities, said: “Thanks to our enforcement team, we’ve successfully used CCTV footage to identify the culprit and seize his vehicle ahead of pursuing this court prosecution. 

“This result is great news and sends a message to anyone thinking about fly tipping in Barnsley that it will not be tolerated. 

“As part of our #EverybodyThink campaign to protect the environment we’ll continue to use social media to share video evidence. We encourage people to share our posts as a warning to the minority of people who think this behaviour is acceptable – together we can tackle fly-tipping.”