Covert camera catches St Austell man’s van fly-tipping in Bugle

The cameras were hidden, the lane was a known dumping spot, and the same van turned up twice in three months.

Now a St Austell man has been ordered to pay more than £2,400 after his vehicle was filmed being used to dump tyres and roofing tiles at Minorca Lane in Bugle.

What the court heard

Michael Richards, 35, of Scredda, St Austell, appeared at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Tuesday 6 October.

He had previously pleaded guilty to allowing controlled waste to be unlawfully deposited from a vehicle under his control, contrary to Section 33(5) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The court heard that waste was deposited at Minorca Lane on two separate occasions.

Michael claimed he had allowed another man, known only as Pedro, to rent his vehicle on both occasions when the fly-tipping happened. Cornwall Council‘s Community Protection team were unable to trace Pedro.

📷Fly-tip, April 2025

How the van was caught

Minorca Lane had already been having problems with fly-tipping. In response, the council’s Community Protection team put covert surveillance cameras in the area to monitor it and gather evidence.

Those cameras captured a van registered to Michael being used to get rid of tyres and roofing tiles.

The sentence

Michael, who has a previous conviction for the same offence, was ordered to pay a total of £2,409.

• A £649 fine
• A £260 victim surcharge
• £1,500 towards court costs

What Cornwall Council said

Councillor Thalia Marrington, cabinet member responsible for Community Safety and Public Protection at Cornwall Council, said: “Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence that blights communities, harms the environment and places a financial burden on taxpayers and landowners who are left to pay for the waste to be cleared.

“Our Community Protection team investigates environmental crimes using a range of techniques, including surveillance. This enables us to identify offenders and bring them before the courts.

“I hope this prosecution acts as a warning to others that we will not tolerate fly-tipping in Cornwall and we will hold offenders to account.”

If you pay someone to take your waste away

The council is reminding residents and businesses that if they pay for waste to be removed, they must make sure it is done by a registered waste carrier.

You can check whether someone is a registered waste carrier on the Environment Agency’s public register.

Anyone who sees fly-tipping happening is asked to report it through the Cornwall Council website.

📷Fly-tip, January 2025