Darren Goddard jailed for fly-tipping in North York Moors National Park

A man has been sent to prison for 16 weeks after dumping building materials, including asbestos, in the North York Moors National Park.
The materials dumped by Darren Goddard in the North Yorks Moors National Park.The materials dumped by Darren Goddard in the North Yorks Moors National Park.
The materials dumped by Darren Goddard in the North Yorks Moors National Park.

Scarborough Borough Council brought a prosecution against Darren Goddard of Lazenby, near Middlesbrough, who pleaded guilty to fly-tipping near Danby last August.

Council waste enforcement officers worked closely with North Yorkshire Police as part of the fly-tipping task force - Operation Eyeball - to trace and bring the offender to court.

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Goddard pleaded guilty to the offence when he first appeared in court on November 27 and the case was adjourned until last Tuesday. Magistrates said that he acted for reward and that the offence was premeditated. They made it clear that they were not prepared to suspend the sentence.

Harry Briggs, Scarborough Borough Council deputy operations, transport and countryside manager, said: “This is an important sentence and demonstrates how seriously we, North Yorkshire Police and HM Court Service take such offences.

"We always investigate reports of fly-tipping with a view to tracing and bringing those responsible to justice.

"This is the first custodial sentence that we have achieved for an offence of fly-tipping in our borough, which must act as a warning to anyone who thinks they can dump waste in our

communities and get away with it.”

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Sergeant Gareth Gilleard, of Whitby Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “The custodial sentence imposed by the court sends a very strong message that dumping waste in our precious countryside is completely unacceptable.

“The prosecution also underlines how we can tackle this issue, with police, local authorities and other organisations working closely together. It came about as a result of a ‘day of action’ involving Whitby Neighbourhood Policing Team, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, other agencies, and specialist police resources.

“I would urge members of the public to help us; if you find or witness fly-tipping, wherever it is, record as many details about the incident and the waste as you can, and report it to

your local authority or via the gov.uk website.

"This will allow us to take action against those responsible and stop them fly-tipping in the future.”

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New powers are coming in to force this month, which will permit the council to issue penalties to households who give their waste to unlicensed people, who often advertise through social media platforms such as Facebook.

Anyone that witnesses fly-tipping in the Borough of Scarborough should report it to the council online at scarborough.gov.uk or by calling 01723 232323.