Fly-tipper got car back after they told court ‘I need it to take Gran to the doctors’

By David Spereall
Published 15th Feb 2022, 04:45 BST
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A fly-tipper got their seized car back after they told magistrates they had to take their grandmother to the doctors, a meeting has been told.

Wakefield Council took the car away under powers allowing local authorities to seize vehicles linked to the illegal dumping of waste.

Courts can then order the car be crushed as punishment following a conviction.

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However, of the seven vehicles Wakefield Council has seized over the last year in connection with a fly-tipping case, every single one has been returned to the owners, councillors were told on Monday.

Illegal waste carriers, who make money from tipping other people’s rubbish, are getting more sophisticated in covering their tracks, council meeting is told.Illegal waste carriers, who make money from tipping other people’s rubbish, are getting more sophisticated in covering their tracks, council meeting is told.
Illegal waste carriers, who make money from tipping other people’s rubbish, are getting more sophisticated in covering their tracks, council meeting is told.

Speaking at a scrutiny meeting, environmental enforcement manager Darren Pollington said: “We’ve never squished a car yet. Whenever it’s gone to court they (the offenders ) have got them back. We haven’t been able to squish one yet, although we’d like to.

“They’ll get them back from the judges and magistrates because they say they need them. A lot of the time, they’ll say (for example) that they need a car because they take their grandma to the doctor’s. That’s one we’ve had before.”