Prolific Walker fly-tippers used shopping trolleys to transport then dump waste in the street
by Sara Nichol · ChronicleLiveTwo prolific fly-tippers used shopping trolleys to transport and then dump waste in the East End of Newcastle.
Colin Brown and Mark Creed, who both have criminal records for exactly the same offending, charged residents money to take their rubbish to a tip but instead illegally left it on alleyways, car parks and in the garden of an empty property. A court heard that, on one occasion, Creed was even caught burning waste at night on an rear lane in Byker, which had to be put out by the fire service.
The hapless pair were either observed by officers from Newcastle City Council transporting and dumping the rubbish, which included tyres, roofing felt, mattresses, flattened wardrobes, garden furniture and household materials, or letters within the waste led them to addresses, where the occupants confirmed they had paid Brown and Creed to dispose of it. Both previously appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court charged with a number of offences but the case was adjourned until this week.
Brown, 67, of Welbeck Road, in Byker, pleaded guilty to four counts of depositing controlled waste on land without a permit, while Creed, 57, also of Welbeck Road, pleaded guilty to three counts of depositing controlled waste on land without a permit, one of disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health and one of lighting a fire on a highway so as to injure, interrupt or endanger a highway user.
Prosecutor, Grace Taylor, said Brown was caught fly-tipping four times in under two months, while Creed was caught three times. Miss Taylor continued: "The first offence took place on March 21.
"Officers were on duty in Byker and observed Brown pushing a flatbed trolley with waste in it. There were three large pieces of wood and a piece of roofing felt. The officers continued to observe him and observed him unloading waste against fences to the rear of Dunmorlie Street before walking away.
"The next offence was on April 21 in Welbeck Road, in Walker. Officers witnessed Brown and Creed pushing shopping trolleys filled with household waste. There was a double mattress, a bed base and flattened wardrobes.
"They witnessed the defendants deposit the waste in a car park near to St Martin's Church. They walked away with empty trolleys."
The court heard that, on April 27, officers again saw Brown and Creed walking the streets with trolleys full of waste, this time garden furniture, fencing panels and a tyre. Later the same day, the officers found the waste dumped in the garden of an empty property.
Then, on May 14, officers found waste on Canterbury Street, in Byker, which was a dismantled wardrobe and a large bag of household items. Miss Taylor added: "Inside the bag was a letter addressed to a witness.
"She was spoken to and recognised the waste as hers and said it had been taken by 'Colin and Mark', who used trolleys to take it away to the tip for £20. She also had a doorbell camera confirming this."
In relation to Creed, on the night of June 10, he was also caught burning waste on the road to the rear of Welbeck Road, in Byker. Officers monitored and watched Creed feeding the fire before calling 999 for the fire service to attend to extinguish the flames.
The court heard that both men were convicted of fly-tipping on April 12 this year but were out doing the same thing just a few days later. Jonathan Pigford, defending Brown, said the motivation for his offending was him moving house.
Mr Pigford added: "He cares for his wife and they moved to a downstairs flat for her and he wanted to better it. It's low-level offending in that it's £10 here or £20 there. They do appear to give their names, so they're not trying to hide who they are."
Mr Pigford said the pair used to legitimately charge people to take their rubbish to the tip but, once they were barred from entering on foot, began to dump it illegally. Giving Brown a 12-month community order, District Judge Paul Currer said: "These are serious offences.
"Firstly, depositing waste provides a hazard for members of public and secondly, it's extremely unsightly. It defies belief that you went out with tyres and mattresses and think it's appropriate just to leave them in the street. It's an appalling thing to do.
"You were aware it was an offence as you were convicted earlier this year and you have gone out and done it almost immediately again." Also ordering him to pay a £200 fine and £480 compensation, the judge warned Brown that, if he fly-tipped again, he faced going to prison.
Ian Cassidy, defending Creed, said: "Mr Creed is saying that alcohol and drugs are at the root of the offending. He does these jobs so he can purchase alcohol and drugs."
District Judge Currer adjourned Creed's case for sentence so that he could be assessed for an alcohol or drug treatment requirement. He was released on bail to be back at the same court on January 14.
Deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, Coun Alex Hay, who is also responsible for neighbourhood services, said: "I would urge everyone to be extremely cautious when waste carriers come knocking on their door.
“If you pay someone to take away your waste and it is dumped at the end of your street for example, you have not only wasted your money but could be liable to prosecution. It is your responsibility to check that the person you are employing is authorised by the Environment Agency to carry waste.
“This was a crude operation made worse by the fact it was not their first offence. Fly-tipping is an awful environmental crime, and the council will not hesitate to prosecute it when we have the evidence.”
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