Luton man fined £1,800 for dumping waste in the town

A man from Luton has been fined £1,800 by Luton and South Bedfordshire Magistrates Court for fly-tipping rubbish.

An investigation into waste found by Luton council’s neighbourhood enforcement officers revealed evidence linking Karol Matyskiewicz, of Russell Street Luton, to the incident.

Despite attempts by the council to speak with Mr. Matyskiewicz he failed to respond, and a fixed penalty notice was issued. This went unpaid and his case was escalated for prosecution. On June 23, he failed to appear in court and a ‘failure to appear’ warrant was given to him.

When he finally appeared in court, Mr Matyskiewicz pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him. The council said: “He expressed remorse and offered a sincere apology, indicating that he had learned a valuable lesson from the experience. The £1,800 fine included a £250 contribution towards costs and a victim surcharge payment.”

Councillor Tom Shaw, portfolio holder for environmental enforcement at Luton council said: “This prosecution demonstrates that we take environmental protection seriously and will take action against those who fail to follow the correct procedures for waste disposal.

“We have a zero-tolerance attitude towards any instance of fly-tipping because nobody wants to live in a town which is dirty and unpleasant. We have always taken it seriously but our recent declaration of a War on Waste shows we have had enough of inconsiderate people who are ruining our town”.

At the end of October, two more people who were wanted on warrant for failing to appear were arrested and presented before the court for fly-tipping. This case has been adjourned until the 14 November.