A careless fly-tipper who was caught on CCTV throwing away the ruins of a cannabis factory was fined more than £2,000 for his actions.
Over 200 bags of trash were seen being dumped by Steven Bouchard at three different locations, including the South Wales tourist attraction Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The majority of the garbage was from a cannabis factory and included heat lights, fertilizer, soil, plants, and venting pipes.
Despite having a waste carrier license, Bouchard, 38, was caught unlawfully dumping trash seven times.
He was prosecuted following a joint investigation between South Wales Police and the local council.
CCTV cameras had been installed specifically to catch fly-tippers in the Welsh countryside, and after officers arrested Bouchard more drug waste was found in his van.
Bouchard, from Pontypridd, was given a four-month suspended sentence at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court. He was also ordered to pay more than £2,000 in fines and court costs.
Following the sentence, local councillor Ann Crimmings said: ‘Fly-tipping in our area will not be tolerated, ever.
‘There is never an excuse to blight our towns, streets and villages with waste, and we will find those responsible and hold them to account.
‘As this case highlights, we investigate all fly-tipping reports and will uncover all the details as Bouchard has found out.
‘Fly-tipping is a serious offence and can lead to large fines, a criminal record and even a custodial sentence.
‘Removal of fly-tipping in our area costs hundreds of thousands of pounds which should be spent on key front-line services.
‘We will use every power available to us to hold those accountable for their actions.
‘Many of the items we recover on our streets, towns and mountains could have been taken to a recycling centre or collected from the kerbside at no extra cost.’
Fly-tipping is sadly a common occurrence across the UK, with the director of a ‘man with a van’ business and his colleague fined for dumping household waste down a dead end in Glasgow last month.
Some illegal dumpers have become more brazen than ever, with one couple returning to their Kent home to find 80 tyres fly-tipped on their drive.