Flytip in Harwell caught on camera

A man from Fyfield Wick near Abingdon has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 after Vale of White Horse District Council successfully prosecuted him for flytipping.

The crime was caught on camera after the council placed CCTV cameras in the area in Harwell, following a number of cases of flytipping at that spot.

William Connors, aged, 60 of 12 Oaks Caravan Park, Fyfield Wick, near Abingdon pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful deposit of waste from a vehicle at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday 27 November.

The magistrates imposed a conditional discharge for 12 months.  They ordered Mr Connors to pay prosecution costs of £1,006 and a victim surcharge of £21.

On 12 November 2019, on private land on Grove Road, Harwell a tipper truck was caught on camera dumping a load of hardcore and soil on land without permission.

Magistrates were advised that Mr Connors accepted that he had control of the use of the vehicle used when the waste was dumped, but he failed to provide enough information about the person who was driving the vehicle. He also denied it was him. 

Magistrates were also advised that when Mr Connors became aware that the council were investigating this flytip, he visited the landowner to apologise and paid more than £200 for it to be removed and disposed of correctly.

Cllr Catherine Webber, Vale of White Horse District Council cabinet member for tackling climate emergency and the environment, said: “The council takes cases of flytipping extremely seriously, which is why officers installed CCTV cameras at this known flytipping spot. Flytipping is not acceptable and officers will always investigate any incidents reported to them.”

For more information on flytipping and how to report it please see our webpage