A Leeds man who went on a shirtless fly-tipping spree earlier this year has narrowly avoided prison.
David Seedo of Clark Lane, Cross Green in Leeds, was convicted at a hearing at Kirklees Magistrates Court last week of 13 offences of fly-tipping in East End Park and Harehills.
Seedo, who was prosecuted by Leeds City Council, fly-tipped multiple times over a two-week period between April 24 and May 6 this year. He was also charged with not having a waste carriers’ licence.
Leeds City Council’s serious environmental crime team (SECT) was alerted after reports of fly-tipping multiple times each day at an area of privately-owned land at Ellerby Lane in East End Park.
A number of witnesses noted the vehicle involved as being distinctive due to it being somewhat unusual – a Nissan Micra towing a trailer, from which mainly household waste was being dumped.
Reports then followed of further fly-tipping at Bayswater Terrace in Harehills, with CCTV footage showing the same vehicle and trailer being used. The team’s investigations led them to a property where waste had been removed for cash as part of a waste removal business, and Seedo was identified as carrying out the work.
The team, alongside officers from West Yorkshire Police, visited Seedo’s property on May 8 where his car was seized as part of the investigation. After pleading guilty in court last week, Seedo, 29, was handed a 10-month prison sentence suspended for two years, and ordered to undertake 300 hours unpaid work and pay £2100 to the private landowner concerned.
The scene in Ellerby Lane -Credit:Leeds City Council
A Criminal Behaviour Order was also made to last until May 31 2031, which means Seedo cannot collect, carry, transport or deposit waste: use any vehicle to carry, collect or deposit waste either as a driver or passenger and cannot advertise waste removal on social media or any other services.
Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, Councillor Mohammed Rafique, said: “This case and the sentence which has come with it shows that no matter what type of vehicle you use if you are flytipping in Leeds we will track you down, with our dedicated serious environmental crime team moving quickly to find those responsible.
“Members of the public played an invaluable role in this case by through the evidence they provided, and we thank them all for helping us to quickly identify and successfully prosecute the perpetrator for his criminal and anti-social actions. Without such support it can often be difficult to take action against flytippers, so a case and outcome like this underlines the importance of us all working together to help stop these blights on our communities.
“And we would like to reinforce the message that if an individual or company says they can remove waste from your property but they cannot show they have an approved waste carrier licence, they are operating illegally so do not hire them.”
LeedsLive has launched a WhatsApp community and anyone who joins will get the latest breaking news and top stories sent direct to their phone. To join click here .
If you don’t like our community, you can leave any time. We also treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Read our privacy notice here .