A FLY-TIPPER who dumped mattresses in a Southampton car park “under the cover of darkness” was under the impression he was at the tip, a court heard.
Albert Polit drove his car to Westridge Road car park in Portswood and dumped the items next to a charity collection box.
The 43-year-old, of Mordaunt Road, Southampton then left the area, believing he had done nothing wrong and that his waste could be left there.
After Southampton City Council found CCTV of the fly-tip, Polit was tracked down using his number plate and fined £250.
However, the sum was not paid despite the payment period being extended.
Last Friday, Polit appeared at Southampton Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to depositing without an environmental permit controlled/extractive waste.
The prosecutor for Southampton City Council told the court: “The items were left in the area late at night under the cover of darkness.”
But mitigating, Janet Brownlow explained how he had driven past the area many times before and seen waste left there, causing him to believe it was a household waste disposal area.
“He fully accepts that he should not have done what he did. He is a hard-working man who made a mistake.
“He’d only just come home from work. He took the items to what he thought was the tip at that time of night.”
Ms Brownlow originally asked the court to reinstate to allow the matter to be dealt with outside of court by way of a reinstated fixed penalty notice.
She added that at the time of the original notice, he had been going through financial difficulties and this was why he was unable to pay.
But the prosecutor said: “My concern is that if that is reinstated, it won’t get paid.”
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Magistrates fined Polit £250 for the fly-tip and ordered him to pay a surcharge of £34 and prosecution costs of £213.
Communities boss at the council, Cllr Toqeer Kataria, said: “We’re continuing to up the ante in the battle against fly tipping. With these convictions we’re sending a very clear message to anyone who dumps their rubbish; that we will actively seek to prosecute wherever possible.
“New mobile CCTV units and an expanded team of Environmental Protection Officers mean we’re taking enforcement action against anyone caught fly tipping, we are issuing fixed penalties and prosecuting offenders who dump waste.
“Ultimately it’s down to all of us to love our city and the communities that we live in and to dispose of rubbish properly.”
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