No cheer for fly tipping restaurant
The owners of a restaurant in north London are not feeling very jolly this festive season having been fined £400 by Epsom & Ewell Borough Council.
The restaurant was refurbished in in the summer and the trade waste from the refurbishment ended up fly-tipped in Epsom.
The Council’s Environmental Health team examine fly tipped rubbish to ascertain where it comes from. In this case, there was a clear trail back to the restaurant.
While they did not physically throw the rubbish into the street, the owners were unable to prove that they had disposed of their rubbish appropriately.
Failure to check the waste carrier's credentials meant they had failed in their ‘duty of care’. A breach of a duty of care (which is a criminal offence) is committed when either a business or householder loses control of their waste or they have not taken reasonable steps to prevent this from happening.
Councillor Peter O'Donovan, Chairman of the Environment and Safe Communities Committee said “We will always prosecute where we find evidence that someone has fly-tipped waste.
“Illegal carriers are a major source of fly tipping. We would like to remind people that they must ensure that the person taking their waste away is licensed for such activity. Failing to do so means they are breaking the law and will face a fine or even criminal prosecution along with the fly tippers”.
This council suggests that if a householder or business hires someone to remove their waste, they should obtain their full name, address, phone number and vehicle registration number; check that they have a licence issued by the Environment Agency; and always get a receipt.
To check a waste carrier's credentials visit
https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers
