Three County Durham men fined for waste offences in court named and shamed

Three people have been ordered to pay a total of £2,000 for waste offences in County Durham.

Karl Armstrong, 37, John Jackson, 65, and Gianni Quinn, 29, all appeared separately before Peterlee Magistrates Court where they were each handed hefty fines.

Council enforcement officers hope the fines will deter others from illegally dumping or collecting waste.

Karl Armstrong

Armstrong, of Tuner Close, Stanley, pleaded guilty to dumping waste on land at South Moor without a permit.

Waste dumped by Karl Armstrong. (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)

Neighbourhood wardens who were called to clean up the dump of wood, cardboard and other waste, found evidence which helped link the flytip to Armstrong.

A local resident told them he had been approached by a man offering to take his rubbish away, and Armstrong admitted being paid £40 to dispose of the trash and said he had dropped it at South Moor for someone else to collect.

He did not have a waste carriers’ licence and said he did not know one was required.

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

John Jackson

Jackson was taken to court after electrical items were found dumped at Jubilee Bridge in Willington.

Waste dumped by John Jackson. (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)

CCTV showed a vehicle, which had its reg place traced back to Jackson, where a man got out and hit two TVs and other tech among the trees.

When contacted by neighbourhood wardens he denied any knowledge of the offence but admitted being involved after seeing the footage.

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

Gianni Quinn

Quinn, of Store Terrace in Easington Lane, was prosecuted for collecting and selling scrap metal without a scrap collector’s licence.

Wardens received a tip-off that a van had been collecting scrap in County Durham and selling it to a business in Wingate. The registration was linked back to Quinn and a visit to the business showed he had sold scrap to the value of £7,384.

During an interview, he accepted collecting and selling scrap metal and said he believed he only needed a waste carrier’s licence when he in fact needed a scrap metal collector’s licence.

Despite saying he would apply for one within 48 hours of interview he failed to do so and 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.

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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.”