County Durham men ordered to pay collective penalty of over £2,000 for waste offences

A man who was caught hiding televisions between trees is among a trio who have been ordered to pay a collective penalty of over £2,000 for waste offences.

Durham County Council took legal action against John Jackson, 65, Karl Armstrong, 37, and Gianni Quinn, 29, at Peterlee Magistrates Court.

Jackson was taken to court after electrical items were found dumped on land at Jubilee Bridge in Willington. CCTV footage showed a vehicle reverse up to the area, where a man got out and hid two televisions and two smaller appliances among trees.

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The registration of the vehicle was traced back to Jackson, who was contacted by a neighbourhood warden and denied knowledge of the offence. He was later shown the CCTV footage under interview and admitted his involvement.

Jackson, of Ennerdale Drive in Crook, pleaded guilty to dumping items without an environmental permit. He was ordered to pay a £200 fine, £379 costs, and an £80 victim surcharge, totalling £659.

Meanwhile, Armstrong, of Turner Close in Stanley, pleaded guilty to dumping waste on land at South Moor without an environmental permit. Neighbourhood wardens were called to assist with clearing up the waste, consisting of wood, cardboard, plastics and paper, after it was discovered by the council’s Clean and Green team.

Evidence among the waste led the wardens to speak to a resident, who advised he had been approached by a man offering to take his waste away. Further investigations identified Armstrong, who admitted he was paid £40 to remove and dispose of the waste and had dropped it at South Moor for someone else to collect. He did not have a waste carriers’ licence and told wardens he did not know he was required to have one.

He was ordered to pay a £200 fine, £629 costs, and a victim surcharge of £80, totalling £909.

The council also prosecuted Gianni Quinn, of Store Terrace in Easington Lane, for collecting and selling scrap metal without a scrap collector's licence. Wardens received information that a van had been seen collecting scrap metal within County Durham and had sold the scrap to a business in Wingate.

Checks of the van's registration identified Quinn and a visit to the business showed records of scrap metal being sold by him to the value of £7,348.

During an interview, Quinn accepted he had collected and sold scrap metal and that he believed he only needed a waste carrier's licence. He confirmed he would apply for a scrap metal collector's licence within 48 hours of the interview but failed to do so.

Quinn was found guilty of collecting and selling scrap metal without a licence and was ordered to pay a £200 fine, £335 costs, and an £80 victim surcharge, totalling £615.

Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: "Environmental offences have a significant impact. They pollute our green spaces, impact on communities and public rights of way, and result in time and public money being spent on waste removal. In terms of scrap metal, a licence ensures that people are trading legally and protects the public and businesses from scrap metal theft.

"As these three cases show, we take environmental crimes very seriously and those who are found to be breaking the law can face hefty legal bills as a result. We would also like to stress to everyone that their waste is their responsibility, and that care should be taken to ensure that waste is disposed of correctly at the right facilities, or through someone who has the correct waste carrier's licence."