'Unaware' student fined for fly-tipping household waste in Slough embankment

A student in Slough has been fined for fly-tipping after claiming he was unaware it was an offence.

Lovepreet Singh of Dolphin Road was identified as being involved in dumping household waste onto the Uxbridge Road railway bridge embankment in September last year.

The 21-year-old appeared at Slough Magistrates' Court on Friday (February 23), where he pled guilty to fly-tipping.

During an interview, he said he was without bins for about 20 days in August 2023 and did not know what to do with his waste.

He would deposit it onto the embankment on his way to the Gurdwara and said he did not know it was illegal to dump waste in the UK.

Mr Singh expressed remorse in court and said he was sorry which was considered by magistrates when deciding what to fine him as a first offender and someone who they believed would be at a low risk of reoffending.

He was ordered to pay a £150 fine, £100 towards the costs of the prosecution and a victim surcharge of £60, making a total of £310.

Councillor Iftakhar Ahmed, lead member for community cohesion, leisure, planning, public health and public protection, said: “The fine handed out is relatively small, but this case acts as a reminder that the responsibility is on the resident to ensure they know how to properly dispose of their waste.

“This includes ensuring it is contained only in their provided bins and not overflowing, or next to the bin.

“Often it is not rogue traders, or large-scale organised waste crime that Slough suffers from. It is increasingly individuals who don’t know, or claim not to know, the rules around the disposal of their waste.

“For anyone unsure, they can speak to the environmental services team at the recycling centre in Chalvey.

“Our website also has lots of information about what the recycling centre can accept, bulky waste collections, what goes in each colour bin, and the bin collection days for each street.

“We hope more people will take the time to learn and understand their responsibilities, without the need for a court prosecution.”

Information on Chalvey Household Waste Recycling Centre, in White Hart Road, where household waste can be taken for free, can be found on the council’s website.