A Swindon resident has been issued with a £600 fixed penalty notice (FPN) for failing to meet their household waste duty of care, after waste linked to them was found fly-tipped in Lydiard Tregoze, in the Wiltshire Council area.

In April, the resident was renovating a property and moving out of a previous home. While they had hired skips for building waste and arranged for some items to be taken to Swindon household recycling centre, they also paid a rubbish removal service to remove waste.

Two separate piles of waste were later discovered fly-tipped on a roadside verge near Lydiard Park in Lydiard Tregoze.

A Wiltshire Council investigation linked the waste back to the resident. During an interview, they recognised items found in both piles of fly-tipped waste and accepted full responsibility for handing waste to someone without checking whether they were authorised to carry it or obtaining any documentation.

As a result, the resident accepted a £600 FPN for breaching their household waste duty of care. The penalty has since been paid in full.

Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, Streetscene and Flooding, said: “People have a legal responsibility to ensure their household waste is disposed of properly.

“If you pay someone to take away waste, you should always check that they are a registered waste carrier, get a receipt and also take the registration and details of their vehicle. Failing to do so can result in your waste being fly-tipped and it could leave you facing enforcement action.

“This case highlights the importance of taking a few simple checks before handing waste over to someone else. It helps protect our environment and ensures waste is managed responsibly.”

Residents can check whether a waste carrier is registered and find information about their household waste duty of care at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.