Prison for Bulwell flytipper

A Bulwell man who offered an unauthorised waste collection service on Facebook, but then illegally fly-tipped or burned the rubbish, has been jailed, a court heard.
The street in Alfreton where Rowe and Marshall dumped wasteThe street in Alfreton where Rowe and Marshall dumped waste
The street in Alfreton where Rowe and Marshall dumped waste

Prosecutors from Amber Valley Borough Council, Ashfield District Council and the Environment Agency (EA) told Mansfield Magistrates Court how David Rowe and his partner, Erica Marshall, dumped controlled waste on July 17, last year.

The trash they left on Birchwood Way, Alfreton, contained garden furniture, nine bags of cannabis waste, and documents which council officers traced to the landlord of a property, who confirmed he had paid the pair to remove rubbish from the rented home.

Rowe was traced through his white van's licence, which was captured on CCTV, and he ignored various attempts by the council to be interviewed under licence.

In November last year he was stopped during an operation between the EA and police, when scrap metal and a washing machine was found in his van.

He told officers he had no licence to transport the material, even though it only costs £150.

Adam Haselhurst, of the EA, said their costs amounted to £1,934, adding: "This was a deliberate offence, and showed blatant disregard for the law."

On February 14, this year, fire fighters were called to Alfreton Road, Selston, where Rowe was burning domestic and commercial waste, and scorched a neighbour's fence.

He said he had been banned from councils tips and had "nowhere else to burn it."

The court heard burning rubbish at that address was a regular occurrence.

Mark Stocks, mitigating, said: "Neither of them appreciated that these sorts of activities are heavily regulated.

"Mr Rowe suffers from a significant learning disability and attended a special school and can't read or write.

"I think both of them thought that collecting waste and taking it to tips for pin money would be a way of supplementing their income.

"The number of trips they were making to council tips made staff suspicious and they were banned. They were victims of their own successes.

"There has been a complete cessation of this sort of activity."

Marshall, 26, of Moorbridge Caravan Site, admitted two counts of dumping controlled waste, while Rowe, 30, of the same address, admitted depositing controlled waste

Rowe, 30, of the same address admitted five offences, including the breach of a suspended sentence.

District judge Jonathan Taaffe gave Marshall ten weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, with 10 rehabilitation days. She was ordered to pay £212 costs and a £115 government surcharge.

Rowe received 30 weeks in prison, and must pay a £115 government surcharge. They were both banned from driving for 12 months.

For more of the latest cases from Mansfield Magistrates Court, click here.