Fly tipper in County Durham caught out by quick thinking witness

A passer-by managed to write down the car’s registration number

Fly tipper, John Paul Nixon, from Peterlee, was caught out by a quick thinking passer-by, who spotted him dumping his neighbour’s household waste in October of last year, at a well-known fly tipping site in Horden, County Durham.

Nixon, aged 26, did not know that he was being watched by someone and was caught out after the witness smeared Nixon’s vehicle registration number on a mirror that he had dumped at the site.

Nixon was caught after a neighbourhood warden, from the council, went to the well-known fly tipping site in the Warren House Gill area of Horden, on October 26 last year.

A number of household items were found dumped at the site by the warden, including paint pots and a mirror.

The registration number scribbled onto the mirror was checked out and at the same time, someone at the council received a call from a member of the public saying they had witnessed somebody dumping household waste at the site in a red car, so they had scribbled the registration number onto the mirror.

The owner of the registration number was found and it turned out to be Nixon’s neighbour’s. She had lent him her car to take her household waste to a recycling depot.

Nixon pleaded not guilty at first but eventually changed his plea to guilty. He was made to pay costs totalling £676 and a £60 victim surcharge. He also received a six month community order, which included five days rehabilitation.

The case was part of Operation Stop It! – an operation in which the council works alongside the Environment Agency, Crimestoppers and Durham Police, in an effort to reduce the amount of fly tipping.

To find out more about our nationwide waste management services, please click here.

Waste Collections Nationwide:

Call us on 0800 211 8390 - or complete our Free Quote Form opposite.
Learn more about our Waste Management Services.

Read more News