A carpet shop owner has been landed with a £1,785 legal bill after Nottingham City Council prosecuted him for failing to dispose of business waste properly.
The council acted on information it received that Gary Cooper, proprietor of the One Stop Carpet shop, Nuthall Road, Nottingham, was not disposing of the waste from his business appropriately.
He was asked in April 2016 to provide details of how waste from the business had been disposed of since January that year. He did not provide appropriate proof and so he was interviewed in June. Officers advised him about the appropriate and lawful ways to dispose of waste. He was later asked to provide details of waste disposal from his business between August and October last year, and again failed to provide evidence that waste had been disposed of appropriately.
The council brought a prosecution against him for two offences of failing to provide waste transfer notes for his business under section 34 Environmental Protection Act 1990. When Mr Cooper failed to attend a Magistrates Court hearing into the matter on 15 March, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
At the hearing on 20 March presided over by District Judge Goodman, Mr Cooper pleaded guilty to the first charge and was fined £350. In relation to the second charge, he was fined £615 in recognition that he had not acted on advice he had been given about waste disposal. A victim surcharge of £61 and council costs of £759 brought the total fines to £1,785. Mr Cooper also had a collection order of £200 per month made against him.
Portfolio Holder for Community Services, Councillor Nicola Heaton, said: “Businesses have a responsibility to help keep Nottingham clean and ensure they get rid of their waste properly. This prosecution highlights that the council will take action if they fail to do this.
“Mr Cooper has incurred fines which he has to pay back and if not paid may result in him landing back in court for non-payment. It also must be noted that Mr Cooper did not attend court when required and that a warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest. I hope that this sends out the message that disposing of waste appropriately is a matter not to be ignored.”