Council seize rights to van used in Wolverhampton fly-tipping
A council has become the first in the Black Country to seize ownership of a vehicle after it was used for fly-tipping.
Florin Stanescu was fined more than £1,800 and lost his van after he was filmed dumping rubbish in Wolverhampton.
The city council successfully applied for a forfeiture order to obtain the legal rights for the van and said it was a warning about what could happen to those who fly-tip.
The 40-year-old, of Pond Lane, Wolverhampton, was caught on CCTV, along with a young child. dumping eight black bin bags and a cardboard box in Haggar Street, Blakenhall, in April last year.
Magistrates in Walsall ordered him to pay £1,802 and agreed to transfer the rights of the vehicle to the authority after he pleaded guilty to fly-tipping on March 1.
Councillor Steve Evans, environment boss at Wolverhampton Council, said: “This the first time a Black Country authority has used its powers to apply for a forfeiture order to transfer the rights of the vehicle following this criminal behaviour.
“I’m pleased we have the support from the court to help us clamp down on fly-tippers and the offender has received a substantial fine for his selfish acts.
“Mr Stanecus has been clearly captured on CCTV dumping waste at one of our residential streets.
“He chose to drive to this particular spot to illegally dump his rubbish instead of going to the tip – there is no excuse for this behaviour, it is not acceptable, and we are not going to tolerate it.
“I would like to thank the Environmental Crime team for their continued efforts to clamp down on fly tippers and help keep Wolverhampton a clean place to live, work and visit.”
The action comes after the council launched its Shop a Tipper campaign earlier this year, offering people cash rewards for reporting information on those dumping rubbish.
