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A repeat fly-tipper has been fined thousands of pounds after dumping waste in a country lane.
Romeo Wickham illegally disposed of a company's furniture, chairs and other items of rubbish in Gills Road, South Darenth.
The 30-year-old, of Norwood Road, Brixton, was fined £1,380 at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
His illegal activities came to light following an investigation led by Sevenoaks Council’s environmental enforcement team into a large incident on the country lane on 21 November 2019.
Amongst the wooden furniture, chairs and numerous bags of waste, the team found paperwork linked to a London-based water delivery company.
They contacted the business and found they had entered into an informal arrangement with Wickham to remove their waste twice weekly from August 2019.
As part of their investigations, the council’s enforcement team asked to interview Wickham on a number of occasions, but he failed to attend.
Wickham was initially summonsed to appear before the Magistrates’ Court on May 14 but he failed to show and instead asked for an adjournment, which was granted.
At the rearranged hearing on Friday, Wickham pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay an £800 fine, £250 towards the council’s costs, £250 for the clean-up operation and an £80 victim surcharge, making a total of £1,380.
This was not the first time Wickham has been convicted of such an offence.
At Bromley Magistrates’ Court on April 13, he pleaded guilty to fly-tipping builders' waste in a car park on 11 November 2019.
On this occasion he was fined £660 and made to pay £458 in costs.
Cllr Margot McArthur, the council’s cabinet member for cleaner and greener said: “I would like to pay tribute to our environmental enforcement team who continued to pursue Mr Wickham even though he refused to co-operate with our investigation and failed initially to attend court.
“While we were disappointed with the punishment, given the sentencing guidelines show an unlimited fine or a custodial sentence for a repeat offender, this latest case sends a clear message to anyone considering fly-tipping in the Sevenoaks District – we will do all we can to catch you and bring you to justice.”
To report a case of fly-tipping, visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/flytipping or call 01732 227000.
