Bradford Woman Tipped Wheelie Bin Onto Street

A Bradford woman has been convicted of emptying the contents of a wheelie bin onto the street.

Claire Alyson Miller, 41, of Scholemoor Lane, Bradford, admitted an offence of fly-tipping when she appeared at Bradford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 11th June 2025.

In England and Wales it is an offence under section 33(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to deposit, or knowingly cause or permit controlled waste to be deposited on any land unless authorised by a valid environmental permit.

The maximum sentence for an offence under section 33 is 6 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction; 5 years' custody and/or an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment.

Magistrates heard that Bradford Council received reports of various household items, including a fridge and sofas, being dumped behind a property on Scholemoor Lane.

On one occasion Miller had been challenged by a local business owner, who recorded the interaction. During the recording Miller admitted to dumping some of the waste.

Iftikhar Ahmed, mitigating, told that court that his client had been helping a neighbour empty rainwater from an apparently unused wheelie bin.

Mr Ahmed said: "She accepts they tipped the bin over to clear it out so the neighbour can use it. There was some rainwater on the bin, and they tipped it over to clear it off. When they did, tiles fell out."

Miller's plea was entered on the basis that she accepted dumping the tiles, but none of the other items.

Elizabeth Bourgeois JP, sentencing, said: "The problem with fly-tipping is that once you create a mess, others add to that mess and it gets worse and worse.

"It's something you need to nip in the bud and make sure you don't make a mess in the first place.

"If you would have engaged with the Council you would have just ended up with a fixed penalty notice, but you didn't, and the case escalated."

Miller was fined £200 and ordered to pay £748 in prosecution costs and £80 surcharge.

The fixed penalty, had she engaged with the Council, would have been considerably less than that amount.