An unlicensed waste carrier has been prosecuted by City of Wolverhampton Council after household rubbish was found strewn across graves at a city church.
The incident has been condemned by the council as ‘unimaginable’ and showing a sheer lack of respect.
Environmental crime officers are now warning residents to carefully check the details of anyone advertising waste removal services.
Damian Maiden had promoted his services as a waste carrier on social media when he was contacted by a resident in Bushbury Hill.
But after charging a fee to pick up waste from the property, items were discovered discarded on graves at Holy Trinity Church, Heath Town.
Church officials found piles of bags, furniture and clothes dumped across a number of graves on the morning of Friday 15 November 2024.
The church immediately arranged for the waste to be removed and disposed of correctly and contacted the council’s environmental crime team to report the incident.
After discovering evidence in the dumped waste, officers were able to track down phone messages between Maiden and the resident as well as doorbell camera footage of him collecting the waste.
Maiden was issued with a notice requiring waste transfer notes for his removals business, but he failed to comply and it became clear that Maiden was not a registered waste carrier at the time of the incident.
The council then prosecuted and Maiden, of Jonesfield Crescent, Eastfield, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and one under the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 at Dudley Magistrates Court on Wednesday 30 July.
Magistrates were told that Maiden was not working and in receipt of benefits. He was ordered to pay a total of £948 in fines and costs for the first charge under the Environmental Protection Act of failing to provide waste transfer notes. No separate penalty was imposed for the second.
The costs awarded to the council will be reinvested back into its environmental crime service.
The church has received a £100 Enjoy Wolverhampton gift card for providing evidence under the council’s Shop a Tipper scheme.
Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “Dumping waste is bad enough, but having the sheer lack of respect to leave it scattered across graves in the grounds of a church is utterly disgusting.
“What anybody must be thinking to do this is unimaginable to me - as I’m sure it is to the vast majority of residents in our city. This is a disgraceful example of the problem the council is facing, and it just makes us more determined to tackle the people who do it.
“I would also like to use this case to encourage any residents who may be considering employing a waste carrier to make sure that you carefully check their business details before engaging them.”
Officers are reminding residents and companies to always check the following when employing anyone to take away waste from any premises:
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
