usiness that fly tipped in the city then ignored a £400 council fixed penalty has been ordered to pay more than £8,800 by magistrates.

Two men, using a van that had been hired by business Sergiu Razvan Ed Ltd, dumped bags of rubbish at night in Byrne Road, Blakenhall.

The incident was caught on a camera that had been installed by City of Wolverhampton Council to monitor fly tipping. Officers were able to trace the vehicle to a hire company and identify who had control of the van at the time of the incident.

The director of the business, Sergiu Razvan, admitted to leaving items on the footpath and agreed to pay a £400 Fixed Penalty. However, after several weeks, the fine remained unpaid.

As a result, a fly tipping prosecution was brought against the company itself, and the business was found guilty in its absence during a hearing at Dudley Magistrates Court on May 2.

The business was fined £5,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and costs of £1,851.88. The costs awarded to the council will be reinvested back into its environmental crime service.

Magistrates were told that at 9.40pm on 27 February 2024 a van was driven from Napier Road to Byrne Road where two men dumped refuse sacks of waste on the footpath. The van then drove off.

Despite the council issuing a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice and a reminder letter, no payment was received from the business and the prosecution was brought.

The recent court action supports ongoing work under the council’s Shop a Tipper campaign where anyone suspected of dumping rubbish will have their images shared to appeal for information to help identify them.

If the information provided leads to successful identification, and Fixed Penalty Notices are issued and paid or a prosecution takes place, residents receive a £100 Enjoy Wolverhampton Gift Card.

Residents can contact 01902 552700 with information or report online at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/fly-tipping

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “The courts have sent out a very strong message in this case.

“If the business responsible had paid the Fixed Penalty Notice, the council would not have had to prosecute. But as a result, the company is now facing a significant financial penalty.

“I welcome the decision of the courts to take this tough approach. This case clearly shows fly tippers that they should not ignore contact from us and simply hope we will go away.

“Fly tipping is a blight on the local environment and we are continually working to tackle this unpleasant and illegal behaviour. We will take all necessary measures to keep our city clean for residents to enjoy.”

Residents are reminded that waste can be disposed of free of charge at our Household Waste and Recycling Centres (tips) which are open 7 days a week from 8am – 4pm. Centres are at Anchor Lane, Lanesfield, Bilston and Shaw Road, Wolverhampton.

A bulky item collection service to dispose of big unwanted items is also available, find out more at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/book-bulky-item-collection