Fly-tipping protester fined £300 by local council... for fly-tipping

A man who dumped piles of rubbish outside council offices in protest against fly-tipping in the area has been handed a £300 fine for fly-tipping.

George Brockbanks, 66, said he decided to act over the increasing amount of waste left on a street near his home.

The Swindon resident said he complained to the council on a few occasions before he decided to stage a protest.

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He has dumped rubbish outside the town council's office on several occasions since May, with a note asking them to contact him.

But the council instead issued him with a £300 fly-tipping fine.

He said: “It’s a protest. I’ve lived in the area for probably 18 years, and I have seen the area just go downhill, a lot of it with rubbish.

“The rubbish got to such a state for me, I just couldn’t put up with it no more.”

Brockbanks first took a bag to the council offices on 13 May, leaving it along with his name and telephone number so the council would contact him but he received no response.

So he picked up more fly-tipped rubbish and dumped it outside the council offices on 6 June.

He said: “I left a note on it, and I made sure the van was parked directly outside. I knew if I took it to them, then something would happen.”

The bags contained lots of packaging, polystyrene, a bag of clothes and more, he added.

He said: “I thought this time somebody would get back – they did get back with a £300 fine if you pay it now or £400 if you don’t within 14 days.”

Brockbanks' story was widely shared on social media and the council ended up getting in touch with him.

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The local authority has since withdrawn the fine and is working with him to find a solution.

“They want to have a conversation and said that I wouldn’t be paying the fine and wouldn’t be taken to court,” he said.

Brockbanks said he wanted to bring the issue to light and tackle fly-tipping and is urging landlords in the area to ensure their tenants have enough bins.

He added: “But also we need to educate people as well. There needs to be more signs up which say that this is illegal to dump rubbish.”

When asked if he ever considered moving somewhere else, he said: “I am seriously thinking of moving, if this isn’t sorted out.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: “We met with Mr Brockbanks earlier this week and had a very positive discussion about the fly-tipping issue in his area.

“A number of options have been discussed and we will be looking to put some in place as soon as possible.

“We would like to thank Mr Brockbanks for his co-operation, and we’ll continue to update him in the following weeks.”

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