Council secures second successful fly-tipping prosecution in less than two months
A local man has been convicted of an offence related to the fly-tipping of waste in East Stratton and ordered to pay costs of £2, 245.
Patrick Stokes, a 45 year-old resident of Carousel Park, Micheldever, was prosecuted by Winchester City Council and pleaded guilty at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on Thursday 4 January 2024.
Mr Stokes pleaded guilty to controlling the use of his pick-up truck when a fly-tipping offence took place, after the dumping of roofing and builder’s waste was witnessed in Embley Wood Lane in October 2022 by officers from the council’s Environmental Services team.
Mr Stokes, the owner and insured person of the vehicle at the time, denied carrying out the fly-tipping himself but failed to name any other individual who had used the pick-up truck.
The court ordered him to pay a fine of £650, prosecution costs of £1,335 and a victim surcharge of £260, totalling £2,245. Mr Stokes will have a criminal record as a result of this offence.
Winchester City Council Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency Cllr Kelsie Learney said: “This is the second successful prosecution by Winchester City Council in the past two months and reinforces our zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping across our district.
“Fly-tipping damages our local environment including our rural communities, and causes untold harm to the environment and wildlife, whilst encouraging pests and vermin. We will look to prosecute wherever appropriate and continue to ask for the help of the public as witnesses as we pursue the perpetrators of crimes of this nature.”
The City Council is appealing to anyone who witnesses fly-tipping, or who may have video evidence of someone fly-tipping, to report it online - Fly-Tipping - Winchester City Council - or contact the city council’s Customer Services Team on 0300 300 0013.