Waste offenders ordered to pay more than £3,200 following council prosecutions

Barnsley Council has successfully secured the prosecutions of three enviro-crime defendants in relation to waste offences at houses in Thurnscoe.

Georgia Brown, aged 27, of High Street, Thurnscoe, and Martin Brown, aged 35, of the same address, were both prosecuted for allowing a build-up of waste and dog faeces outside their home in breach of a Community Protection Notice.

Luke Congreve, aged 30, of Windsor Crescent, Scunthorpe, pleaded guilty to dumping mattresses at Windsor Square in Thurnscoe.

These prosecutions show how we are taking a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour in our communities.

Mr Brown and Ms Brown were prosecuted for failing to comply with a Community Protection Notice requiring the clearance of waste and dog faeces from the rear garden of the property, and allowing the further accumulation of waste and dog faeces.

They were both found guilty in their absence, and each fined £440 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £176 and costs of £338, amounting to a total bill of £954 each.

Congreve was prosecuted for knowingly causing the deposition of controlled waste, namely mattresses, on land at Windsor Square, Thurnscoe, without the authority of a current waste management permit.

He was fined £500 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £200 and costs of £643, giving a total court bill of £1,343.

Cabinet spokesperson for Communities, Cllr Sam Burdett, said:

“Everyone in Barnsley deserves to live in a clean, safe and welcoming community, free from anti-social behaviour and environmental crime.

“The overwhelming majority of residents take pride in where they live, respect their neighbours and dispose of their waste responsibly. Those who choose to commit environmental crime do the exact opposite.

“These defendants all showed a clear disregard for anyone else’s quality of life when they committed these disgraceful offences.

“I welcome these successful prosecutions and the sentences imposed by the courts. They send a clear message that Barnsley Council will take a zero-tolerance approach to environmental crime. If you choose to dump waste illegally, you can expect to be investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable.

“I’d like to thank our Safer Communities team and our Litigation Team for their hard work and professionalism in securing these successful outcomes on behalf of Barnsley residents.”

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