TWO convicted fly-tippers thought existing waste at a dumping hotspot gave them permission to add to the issue, a court hearing was told.

Constanta Cretu, 44, and 43-year-old partner Ion Gusa, both of St John’s Road, Barnsley, were caught on CCTV dumping household waste and clothing on land off Smithley Lane, Wombwell, on May 27.

Having pleaded guilty, both apologised at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court last Thursday, before Gusa said he was not aware that they could not tip there, and that there was waste already there so thought it was acceptable to do the same.

They were ordered to pay the entire council costs and compensation of £1,872.46 between them, plus an £85 victim surcharge and a total of 100 hours of unpaid work each.

Cretu, whose vehicle which was used in the incident was seized and crushed by the council, said that she did not think it would be treated so seriously.

Matthew Gladstone, executive director for place, said: “CCTV footage has once again helped us to identify the culprit and gain a court prosecution.

“Fly-tipping will not be tolerated in Barnsley and we will continue to pursue those who spoil our beautiful borough.

“The #EverybodyThink campaign continues to work towards stamping out fly-tipping, letting residents know it is not acceptable to spoil our beautiful borough.

“We will continue to use all the powers we have to make this socially unacceptable and take action against those who break the law.”

The council can seize a vehicle if it is suspected to have been used for illegal fly-tipping that could cause pollution to the environment or harm to human health.

If nobody claims the vehicle within a defined period or documents proving ownership are not given the council can choose to sell or destroy it.

Safer Neighbourhood Service manager Mark Giles added: “In this case, the council decided to have the vehicle crushed due to the saleable value being limited, sending a strong message to those who fly-tip.

“We do act on what the public tell us so we want them to give us any information which may lead to an offender’s identity being uncovered.

“We won’t ever get complacent on fly-tipping and will do all we can to stop this happening in Barnsley.

“There’s a big interest in cases in the town because there’s a common interest between residents and the council everyone is on the same page and wants this to stop.

“The message to tippers is to stop. If they don’t, we will catch them and if they’re willing to do the crime they will be robustly dealt with.”