Ian Wilson has been jailed for 14 days for flytipping offences. This is the first prosecution by West Lancashire Borough Council which has led to someone being sent to prison for this type of offence.



Wigan Magistrates Court were advised that a large amount of waste was found fly tipped on Elmers Green Lane at the side of Beacon Park Golf Course, Up Holland, West Lancashire. Within the waste was paint which ended up in a watercourse. Council staff working in the area moved the rubbish quickly to minimise the pollution.



A van was captured on CCTV arriving at the site and leaving the area a short while later. A member of the public also witnessed the van and reported it to the Council. The van was later discovered to have been hired by Mr Wilson at the time of the offence.



In addition, further enquiries traced the waste back to where it originated from, which helped the Council to track down Mr Wilson, of Fairstead, Birch Green.

Mr Wilson pleaded guilty to flytipping and secondly failing to provide information within a specified period of time to allow the Council to investigate the fly tipping complaint.



Councillor Kevin Wright, portfolio holder for Health and Community Safety, said: "Flytipping is a criminal offence and this strong action by the Council and the courts illustrates how serious it is and those found guilty can face jail or unlimited fines.



"The Council will continue to crackdown on flytipping and litter to protect the local environment."



If you think waste has been disposed of illegally then you can report this to the Council on our website www.westlancs.gov.uk/flytipping. You can also report problems with litter or fly-tipping by calling 01695 577177 between 8.30am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.

The Council would also like to remind all householders and businesses that they need to make sure any waste that they have removed is disposed of legally. Anyone removing waste as part of a business must have a waste carriers licence and give waste transfer notes to whomever they collect waste from. Householders can check if anyone who removes waste from them has a waste carriers’ licence by contacting the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 or going on their website http://www.gov.uk/government/organis...ronment-agency.