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The offender claimed he needed to empty the van for work purposes
A fly-tipper has been hit with a hefty fine after he dumped three fridges and claimed that he would come back and get them.
Algirdas Bardauskas was prosecuted after he fly-tipped in broad daylight on Fold Street in Wolverhampton.
He was ordered to pay £2,826 after he dumped two large fridges and one small one by the side of the road.
An onlooker reported the incident and has been rewarded with a £100 gift card by Wolverhampton Council.
Mr Bardauskas, of Chester Street, admitted one charge of depositing controlled waste after he dumped the items in August last year.
On August 3 last year, at around 2.30pm, a white van was driven into Fold Street. A man was captured on CCTV unloading two fridges from the rear of the vehicle and leaving them on the highway.
He then drove the vehicle out of view and reappeared carrying a third, smaller fridge, which he left with the others.
Mr Bardauskas was interviewed by council officers and shown images of the fly-tipping and admitted that he had been driving the van and had dumped the fridges.
He said he needed the van to be empty for some work he was doing that day but had left the fridges with the intention of collecting them again.
He said he returned to the location a week later to collect them again, but they had gone.
Mr Bardauskas apologised for what he had done and said he would accept his punishment.
A portion of the fine that Mr Bardauskas was ordered to pay will be reinvested into the council’s environmental crime service.
Councillor Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for resident services, said: “Fly tipping is a blight on our communities and we will not tolerate this kind of irresponsible behaviour in Wolverhampton.
“Our environmental crime team is committed to tracking down and taking action against those who dump waste illegally, and this prosecution demonstrates that offenders will be held accountable for their actions.
“I would like to thank the resident who reported this incident. Information from the public plays a vital role in helping us investigate and bring offenders to justice.
“I would encourage anyone who witnesses fly tipping to report it to us so that together we can continue to tackle this thoughtless crime.”
The council has also announced an investment of £257,146 in it’s environmental crime service this year to fund extra enforcement staff and six more security cameras to be placed at known hot spots across the city.
Users on social media praised the proactive approach the council is taking fly-tipping.
One user said: "Great news let’s all get on board with reporting unsocial behaviour of any kind!"
