A fly tipper who dumped 15 bags of rubbish and then twice failed to attend court to answer charges has been prosecuted by City of Wolverhampton Council.

Callum Owen dumped the black bags from his car late at night at a fly tipping hotspot in Bilston.

After being caught on the council’s CCTV, he was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice which he didn’t pay. The council’s environmental crime team then summoned Owen to court twice, but he failed to attend on both occasions.

He was then arrested and a hearing was held at Dudley Magistrates Court on 4 September.

Owen admitted fly tipping and was given a 12 month community order with a 15 day rehabilitation activity requirement. If he fails to carry out the requirement, he will be brought back to court.

He was also fined £100, ordered to pay costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £128. Costs awarded to the council will be reinvested into the environmental crime service, helping to bring people to justice who fail to dispose of their waste correctly.

The fly tipping happened around 11pm on 7 July last year when Owen drove into Broad Street, Bilston. He was seen on council CCTV parking at a fly tipping hotspot where he unloaded around 15 black bags of waste from the rear and boot of the vehicle.

The bags were left on land to rear of properties on Wellington Road, before Owen drove away. The dumped rubbish was removed by the council.

The land has no owner and has since been fenced off by the council using funds raised through fly tipping enforcement.

The prosecution is part of ongoing work under the council’s Shop a Tipper campaign where anyone suspected of dumping rubbish will have their images shared to appeal for information to help identify them.

If the information provided leads to successful identification, and Fixed Penalty Notices are issued and paid or a prosecution takes place, residents receive a £100 Enjoy Wolverhampton Gift Card.

Residents can contact 01902 552700 with information or report online at Fly-Tipping - Shop a Tipper.

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “This is the latest success in our ongoing battle against fly tipping.

“We know how it makes local people feel when others thoughtlessly dump dirty rubbish in areas where they live and work, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to bring this case to court and seen such a successful outcome.

“We will take all the necessary measures to stop this criminal behaviour and keep Wolverhampton – and its local neighbourhoods and streets - clean and attractive.”

Residents are reminded that waste can be disposed of free of charge at our Household Waste and Recycling Centres (tips) which are open 7 days a week from 8am to 4pm. Centres are at Anchor Lane, Lanesfield, Bilston and Shaw Road, Wolverhampton.

A bulky item collection service to dispose of big unwanted items is also available, find out more at Bulky item collection.

Owen is caught on council CCTV dumping black bags full of waste from a vehicle