Fly-tipper told to pay thousands after dumping 'tonne of waste'

Sobeckis was prosecuted at Leeds Magistrates Court

A fly-tipper was ordered to pay more than Â£2,500 after he dumped a whole tonne of waste on land in Castleford.

Gediminias Sobeckis, 29, abandoned the rubbish on property belonging to Wakefield District Housing (WDH) and was subsequently caught by the authorities.

Sobeckis, who lives in Bramley in Leeds, admitted the offences when he was prosecuted by magistrates in May.

The offence has only now come to light in a report which will go before Wakefield Council next week.

Sobeckis was fined £1,846, and told to pay a £170 victim surcharge, £502.05 in costs and £100 in compensation to WDH.

The report, written by the council's environment portfolio holder Maureen Cummings, said: "After a comprehensive investigation the fly-tipper

was identified, interviewed and prosecuted.

"This is one of the highest fines and costs that Wakefield Council have received in a fly-tipping prosecution."

Figures revealed in May showed that clearing up fly-tipping across the district cost the local taxpayer £200,000 in 2017.

A total of 4,000 reports were made across the 12 months, with Castleford shown to be the most common area for offenders to leave their waste.