A husband and wife who were caught on camera committing fly-tipping in Peterborough have been heavily fined by magistrates.
Marian and Mirela Vasile, of Gladstone Street, dumped several bags of household waste in Russell Street in November 2024. In separate incidents that same week, Marian Vasile (husband) dumped further items in Russell Street and a sofa in Springfield Road.
All five incidents (one carried out by the couple and four by Marian Vasile) were captured on CCTV and the couple were prosecuted by the council’s Safer Communities team.
They appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court recently, where they both pleaded guilty to fly-tipping offences. Marian Vasile was ordered to pay a total of £1,692, which included a fine of £923, costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £369. Mirela Vasile was ordered to pay £960, which included a fine of £400, costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £160.
When sentencing the couple, magistrates took their early guilty pleas into account but emphasised the seriousness of their offences.
Councillor Chris Wiggin, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “This successful prosecution shows that we take fly-tipping extremely seriously and will look to take action against anyone committing it. I also hope that the heavy fines handed out by magistrates act as deterrent to anyone considering dumping waste illegally.
“We also want to remind residents that there are several ways to get rid of waste legally, such as by visiting our Household Recycling Centre in Fengate, using a licensed waste company or our bulky waste collection service."
Residents can help prevent fly tipping by ensuring that they use registered waste carriers to collect and dispose of their waste - if your waste is found fly-tipped, you could be fined or prosecuted. For more information and how to find registered waste carriers locally visit our registered waste carriers page.
If you witness someone fly-tipping, call the police on 999 and report it as a crime in progress. All instances of fly-tipping should also be reported to us as the local waste authority, whether you witnessed the fly-tipping taking place or not.
You can report fly-tipping to us online or by calling 01733 747474. The phone line is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.