Serial fly-tipper fined £4k for dumping rubbish

A serial fly-tipper has been ordered to pay almost £4,000 after being caught dumping rubbish outside a bingo hall in east London.

Martin Stokes, 30, from Birmingham, was ordered to pay £3,905 after a large pile of household waste was dumped outside Buzz Bingo Hall in Barkingside, Redbridge.

Among the waste left at the site were mattresses, a fridge freezer, glass panels and cardboard, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

During its investigation, Redbridge Council said it found he had been prosecuted for two fly-tipping offences in the borough last year, resulting in fines totalling more than £2,000.

CCTV footage showed a yellow van entering the venue's car park before the driver and a passenger unloaded the rubbish and drove away.

The vehicle's registration plate was captured on camera, allowing council officers to identify the 30-year-old.

The council said he had previously failed to pay a £1,000 fixed penalty notice after not identifying the driver of the van when requested, leading to criminal charges.

After failing to attend Barkingside Magistrates' Court for his trial on 16 June, the case was heard in his absence. He was found guilty of fly-tipping and failing to identify the driver.

As well as the fine, he was ordered to pay court costs, council costs and the cost of clearing the waste from Buzz Bingo, bringing the total to £3,905.

Councillor Sunny Brar said the council would continue to use "the full force of the law" to track down and prosecute offenders, ensuring "residents' money is invested in our communities rather than wasted on cleaning up illegal dumping".

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