Houghton Regis man fined £1.7k for fly-tipping Christmas tree and wardrobe

A Houghton Regis man captured on CCTV fly-tipping a wardrobe and a Christmas tree has been fined almost £1,700, after he failed to pay the original smaller fixed penalty.
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The incident occurred on January 2, 2018, at The Old Bottle Bank in Houghton Regis and was captured on CCTV by Central Bedfordshire Council. The council’s environmental protection officers investigated and linked the vehicle license plate to Sebastian Radzikowski from Longbrooke, Houghton Regis.

Mr Radzikowski was interviewed and issued with a £300 fixed penalty notice after he confirmed he had emptied the waste from the vehicle. He accepted the fine, but then failed to pay.

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Mr Radzikowski attended Luton Magistrates’ Court (January 29, 2019), and pleaded guilty to fly-tipping. He was sentenced to a fine of £792, ordered to pay costs of £825 and a victim surcharge of £80, amounting to a total cost of £1,697.

Central Bedfordshire Council brought the prosecution. Pictured: Its headquarters at ChicksandsCentral Bedfordshire Council brought the prosecution. Pictured: Its headquarters at Chicksands
Central Bedfordshire Council brought the prosecution. Pictured: Its headquarters at Chicksands

Councillor Budge Wells, Deputy Executive Member for Community Services at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “We have a zero-tolerance attitude toward fly-tipping in Central Bedfordshire. Our teams work relentlessly to ensure fly tippers are brought to justice.

“This case demonstrates the value of our investment in CCTV and shows how these cameras can help reduce crime and achieve prosecutions.

“We want Central Bedfordshire to remain a great place to live and work. Failure to properly dispose of your waste is simply not acceptable, and we will take action against anyone caught.”

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Residents can report any incidents of fly-tipping to the CBC customer services team on 0300 300 8302 or by emailing [email protected].

Readers should also note that the bottle bank isn’t there now and was taken out a while ago. It used to be at the site of the old Co-op where new sheltered accommodation is currently being built.