A man from Southall has been fined £1,282 after being caught dumping a car battery at National Trust-owned Osterley Park.
Waseem Ahmed Ali, of St Crispin’s Close, Southall, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court where he was ordered to pay £1,282.
He had previously admitted what he had done to Ealing Council officers but failed to pay a fixed penalty notice of £400 and as a result was taken to court by the council.
At the hearing on 7 February 2023, the court heard that, at around 10am on 29 October 2021, Ali was captured on a resident’s CCTV camera as he fly-tipped the car battery – taking it from the boot of a car and dropping it into bushes at Osterley Park. This location had previously been flagged to Ealing Council as a problem area for fly-tipping by volunteers from Ealing litter busters LAGER Can.
The court heard that, after being sent the resident’s camera footage and witness statement, a council enforcement officer used the details of the car on the footage to find out its registered keeper’s details.
This was a rental car that was in the possession of Ali at the time of the offence. He admitted to the fly-tipping offence and agreed to pay a fixed penalty notice (FPN) of £400.
However, the court was that Ali failed to pay the FPN.
Fly-tipping offences can include prison sentences of up to 12 months and/or a fine. But the magistrates considered Ali’s early admission that he dumped the car battery, and also his guilty plea at the court hearing, which resulted in the fine being reduced from £600 to £400. He was also ordered to pay legal costs of £842 and a victim surcharge of £40, a total of £1,282.
Councillor Deirdre Costigan, the council’s cabinet member for climate action said: “We are pleased with the court’s decision. Car batteries are classed as a hazardous material and they need specialist disposal. They can be taken to the Greenford Re-use and Recycle Centre free of charge, and there is no excuse for a battery being dumped – let alone thrown into the bushes of a park used by the public. We are thankful to the resident who spotted the offence taking place.”
Councillor Costigan added: “The council takes all fly-tipping seriously and has adopted a zero-tolerance policy. It is anti-social, costs public money to clear up and is potentially dangerous to others. We hope this decision by the court will make it clear to the small minority who fly-tip that the council will not tolerate this behaviour and that we will take legal action where we can.”
