A PROLIFIC fly-tipper who became the first in Barnsley to be jailed for the offence has been arrested for recall to prison.
James Upton, 25, of no fixed abode, was given a 26-week sentence in November after pleading guilty to a host of charges for depositing controlled waste and transporting waste without a licence.
Some incidents involved Upton approaching residents uninvited and intimidating vulnerable members of the public into paying them for removing waste, which was then dumped illegally.
He was arrested last Thursday having breached his release conditions, according to South Yorkshire Police.
Upton pleaded guilty to a catalogue of charges under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for depositing controlled waste and offences contrary to section one of the Control of Pollution Act 1989 for transporting waste without a licence.
His activity was discovered when Barnsley Council’s enforcement team were investigating fly-tipping that followed similar patterns, where waste would be taken away in wheelie bins which were abandoned in the local area and would later be found dumped close to the victims’ home.
Mark Giles, manager of the Safer Neighbourhood Service at the council, told the Chronicle: “Upton was the first fly-tipper who dumped in Barnsley who went straight to jail for what he did so it shows that the courts are taking the crime seriously.
“If this case doesn’t act as a warning to other fly-tippers, I don’t think anything will.
“It was a fantastic result following great investigation work and the severity of the sentence wasn’t surprising to me as I’ve seen the damage these people cause.
“I’d like longer sentences, perhaps for 12 months, but it’s about being realistic.
“The message we want to send out to the public is that we’re on fly-tippers’ cases and we’ll continue with our robust enforcement, leaving no stone unturned in order to secure successful prosecutions.”
According to figures obtained by the Chronicle, 17 vehicles were crushed in the last 12 months in relation to tipping and 3,482 clean-ups were carried out by the council between April 2018 and March 2019, totalling 196 tonnes of waste, while the latest annual figures are due to be released.
Dale Sparks, head of commercial support services for the council, added: “We’re continuing our campaign which aims to make fly-tipping socially unacceptable and residents are playing a massive role in reporting cases to us. It’s now much easier for them to do that and Barnsley’s 2.8 per cent rise is partly down to that.
“A lot of hard work has been done and 3,482 completed cases have been recorded. The tougher the punishments, the more deterrent there is.”
Wendy Lowder, executive director for communities, said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the public for their statements - without the co-operation of our fabulous communities, we wouldn’t be able to take these cases to court.
“These results send a strong message that fly-tipping will not be tolerated. As part of our #EverybodyThink campaign, we will continue to work with the police and the public to tackle environmental crime.
“Residents can help us to protect our beautiful borough by making sure they only give their rubbish to someone with a valid waste carrier licence.”
