Dozy Wigan fly-tippers caught out after leaving bills in their rubbish

A Wigan couple were identified as fly-tipping culprits after leaving bills with their address on among mounds of discarded rubbish.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Jan 2019, 09:10 BST
Updated 18th Jan 2019, 12:59 BST
The rubbish dumped by the couple which contained personal papers which led to their identificationThe rubbish dumped by the couple which contained personal papers which led to their identification
The rubbish dumped by the couple which contained personal papers which led to their identification

Stephanie Walker and Daniel Yates unwittingly left bank statements and utility bills in bin bags full of waste, which they had tossed out at a fly-tipping hotspot near to their home in Mitchell Street, Ince.

And after being caught out, they did not cooperate with the town hall, failing to attend multiple meetings with the council to discuss the issue.

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At Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court, the couple, who have four young children and a fifth on the way, pleaded guilty to a combined total of six fly-tipping charges.

The rubbish dumped by the couple which contained personal papers which led to their identificationThe rubbish dumped by the couple which contained personal papers which led to their identification
The rubbish dumped by the couple which contained personal papers which led to their identification

The court heard how, last February, correspondence identifying 24-year-old Walker and 27-year-old Yates was found among bin bags, a TV stand and other household waste by the side of a property in Mitchell Street, which cost the council £98 to clean up.

After the local authority spoke to the couple and set up a date for an interview, Walker did not attend, lying that it was her birthday.

Then in April, the pair made the same error of leaving letters with their names on among more rubbish, which this time included more bin bags, a bed frame, an old TV and a chair.

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The same site was visited in July, when part of a shed had been discarded, and in October 20 black bin bags were found dumped.

Prosecuting for the council, Alison Henderson said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities”, adding that Wigan Council has spent £4m on tackling it.

“This was deliberate fly-tipping. They were warned repeatedly,” she added.

Defending the couple, Adam Whittaker said Walker and Yates “concede they have been uneducated on waste matters.”

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He added: “This is a big hotspot for this kind of behaviour.

“At the time, they had one bin for four children and themselves.

“They didn’t know when their bin collections were. They concede they should have cooperated (with the council) at an earlier stage. They have now been issued with a second black bin and a recycling bin, and a chart of bin collections.

“This is a couple who dealt with this issue in the wrong way.”

The magistrates fined the couple a combined total of £1,100 in court costs and compensation.