A MAN banned from several council tips has been spared jail for dumping commercial waste on a grass verge.

John Jackson, of Crook, was found guilty of three waste-related offences at South Tyneside Magistrates Court on Friday, September 15.

The court heard how the 59-year-old took payment from a Blaydon joinery business to collect its commercial waste before dumping it elsewhere in the town in December last year.

The large pile of waste was later investigated by Gateshead Council’s enforcement team who traced it back to Jackson and discovered that he did not hold a licence to carry waste.

He had not complied with his legal duty to complete written records for the waste which he collected either.

It also came to light that Jackson had been banned from a number of council tips for dishonestly disposing of commercial waste.

Jackson, of Ennerdale Drive, was interviewed by enforcement officers under caution and admitted to fly tipping the Blaydon business’s waste.

He was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months and ordered to carry out 75 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay £865 costs.

Anneliese Hutchinson, service director for development, transport and public protection at Gateshead Council, thanked the public for reporting the fly-tipping.

She said: “Unlicensed waste carriers are a scourge not only because of their illegal activities but because they undermine genuine waste collection services.

“It is reassuring to see the magistrates taking such a firm view on this deeply anti-social and illegal activity.

“However, it is important to stress that all businesses have a legal duty to ensure that their waste is transferred only to an authorised person or place.

“They must obtain and keep written records which meet the requirements of their duty of care."

Ms Hutchinson added: “We’d like to thank the public for their assistance in reporting this case of fly-tipping to us.

“Without the public’s help it would be much more difficult to bring cases such as this to court.”

Anybody who finds any fly-tipping is asked to report it online by visiting gateshead.gov.uk/flytipping