Norfolk pub landlord fined £3,527 over fly-tipping

10 February 2010

A NORFOLK pub landlord paid two builders to remove household rubbish and building materials, but they dumped the lot in fields nearby.

Graham Cook (38), landlord of the Cock Inn, Dereham, admitted two offences of failing in his duty of care to fulfil his obligations for the safe removal of waste.

The waste included an old bath and an old fridge, plaster board sections, tins of paint and general household rubbish.

When he appeared before magistrates at Swaffham yesterday, Cook was ordered to pay £3,527 in fines, compensation and costs.

The total amount consists of £1,300 in two fines, £600 compensation to the owners of the two fields (£300 each), investigation and prosecution costs of £1,612, and a victim surcharge of £15.

Lorna Hall, prosecuting on behalf of Breckland Council, said the authority had been alerted to two incidents of fly-tipping. By searching the rubbish, invesitgators found evidence that took them to the Cock Inn.

She said it cost Breckland Council £50,000 a year to clear illegally dumped rubbish in Breckland and more than 1,000 fly-tipping incidents were reported annually in the Breckland area.

Ryan Creek, defending, said Cook accepted that he should have made further checks about the validity of the two men he paid £80 to take away his rubbish.

He added that Cook told the farmers in whose fields the material was dumped, that he would have removed it himself if he had been given the opportunity.

After the hearing, Cook said he admitted that he had made a mistake.

Do you want to use a fully licensed & insured house clearance company?

Do you want a reliable house clearance company that always turns up on the day & has never let a customer down? Click here & see what hundreds of our past customers have said about us.

We perform full house clearances, removing everything requested such as carpets, cookers, washing machines, all clutter & furniture. We also clear garages, lofts, office spaces and commercial buildings. If requested, we can also clean the property to help improve its rental chances or its selling appeal on the housing market.

Call us today on FREEPHONE 0800 0352653 or contact us via e-mail.

Click Here To Calculate Your Carbon Footprint