Flytipper caught on camera

Spy cameras set up to tackle flytipping at a Mansfield beauty spot have helped secure a conviction in the town.


The covert surveillance operation saw a hidden camera deployed at the site which had been plagued by problems.

Baulker Lane, Clipstone, is surrounded by farm land and Forestry Commission Woodland.

The area is regularly enjoyed by walkers but has been prone to numerous flytips and waste fires.

For the Environment Agency, Mark Lewis told Mansfield Magistrates the that this activity blights the landscape and creates other environmental risks.

It also devalues the area and encourages more flytipping. The cost of the clean up can also be substantial.

Gary Armstrong, aged 37 of Walnut Tree Crescent, Mansfield, pleaded guilty to one charge of depositing waste at Baulker Lane.

Armstrong was ordered to pay a £100 fine, £400 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

When interviewed under caution, he had initially denied the offence.

However, when confronted with the CCTV evidence he admitted to his crime.

Footage from the Environment Agency’s camera showed a transit van parking up on Baulker Land and a man dumping items, including a cabinet, vacuum cleaner and other wooden goods – items which could have been collected by the council or taken to specialised waste site free of charge.

An EA officer involved in the case said: “We hope that this will deter anyone thinking of blighting the community by flytipping.

“Would-be flytippers are warned that the surveillance operation will continue where and when appropriate.

“We must also remember that ultimately the tax payer foots the bill for the collection and proper disposal of flytipped waste. ”

Sam Bond

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