Gumtree man-with-a-van costs householder £655

Justina Cereskaite (29) of Theydon Grove, Epping had some rubbish she needed to get rid of, too much to put in the usual rubbish collection. When she saw a man-with-a-van advertising on Gumtree, she thought she’d found the answer to her problem.

Ms. Cereskaite, a professional photographer originally from Lithuania, contacted the man and a he duly showed up at her home to take the rubbish away. She though he would dispose of it responsibly and paid him £50.

But Ms. Cereskaite’s rubbish turned up dumped in from of a set of garages in Ilford’s Connaught Lane, 15 miles from her home in Epping. When confronted by enforcement officers from the London Borough of Redbridge, she admitted that she had not asked to see the man’s waste carrier licence. Nor had she asked for a waste transfer note or where he would dump her rubbish

She also neglected to write down the van’s registration number and the advertisement she’d replied to on Gumtree subsequently disappeared.

Appearing at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court in February 2018, Ms. Cereskaite pleaded guilty to failing in her duty of care to ensure that her rubbish was disposed of responsibly. The total of the fine, costs and surcharge she had to pay came to £655.

Redbridge Councils Cabinet Member for Civic Pride, Councillor Sheila Bain, said, “It is essential that the removal of waste is carried out legally in order to protect our streets from fly-tipping, to ensure a safer and cleaner environment for everyone in the borough. Not checking for a waste carrier licence is no excuse – it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure their waste is being disposed of properly.”