Heswall man caught dumping plastic in Neston

Mar 12 2008 By Lorna Hughes

A HESWALL man has been convicted of fly-tipping after dumping a pile of corrugated plastic sheets in on the road side.

Grant Bow, of Hesketh Drive, pleaded guilty at Chester Magistrates’ Court after he was spotted on CCTV removing the waste from his vehicle and leaving it illegally on a Neston street.

The prosecution by Ellesmere Port and Neston Council is the first to come directly from images caught by CCTV cameras.

Bow’s registration number could be clearly seen on the film, allowing the council’s environmental crime team to trace the registered owner’s details through the police’s national computer.

Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council’s environmental protection officer, Michael Cronley said: "We will continue to carry out these covert operations around the borough where we feel there is a particular threat from fly-tipping.

"We will continue to treat each case seriously and will use all available powers to the full.

"Fly-tipping is costly to clean up, harmful to health and dangerous to wildlife.

"It spoils our enjoyment of the environment and can cause serious pollution."

CCTV was introduced by the council last year for this specific purpose and the environmental protection unit and environmental crime team have subsequently deployed the covert equipment at known hotspots around the borough.

Grant Bow was ordered to pay a £1,000 fine.