A man has been sentenced for fly-tipping after being paid to take away rubbish. Stuart Smith, 33, was prosecuted at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court for illegally dumping waste in Privett Road, Fareham , in June 2023. The waste was blocking residential garages and posed a potential risk to residents, Fareham Borough Council said.
Council enforcement officers discovered that Mr Smith had been paid to collect and dispose of the waste by an unsuspecting customer in Fareham. However, instead of disposing of it legally, he dumped it in Privett Road. Smith, of Tudor Close, Gosport admitted the fly-tipping offence and collecting waste without a valid licence.
Magistrates sentenced him to a community order of 18 months, requiring him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £1,086.23 in total.
This includes paying £472.23 in compensation to the council and the customer, a £114 victim surcharge and £500 costs. Councillor Joanne Burton, executive member for health and public protection at the council, said: "This is a great outcome for the council, and we hope that it will act as a deterrent for others who may be tempted to offend.
"Fly-tipping is unacceptable, and a blight on our beautiful borough. "This outcome is testament to the painstaking hard work of our officers.".
