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A South Tyneside man has been fined following a flytipping incident outside a Covid testing centre.

Richard Oliver, of Boldon Colliery, was fined £180 in his absence by South Tyneside Magistrates this week, as well as being ordered to pay £100 in costs and a £34 victim surcharge.

The court heard how a substantial amount of waste, including an industrial air filter and sacks of domestic rubbish, was found abandoned illegally outside a PCR testing station in the car park of Temple Park Leisure Centre last August.

A number of letters among the waste led investigating officers from Â鶹ÊÓƵ to Oliver's address at Charles Street, Boldon Colliery.

The Council took legal action after the 34-year-old failed to make himself available to answer questions regarding the abandonment of the waste - an offence under section 110 of the Environment Act 1995.

A spokesperson said: "We are absolutely committed to keeping our borough beautiful, and that means tackling the scourge of fly tipping.

"This case should serve as a reminder that we will always pursue legal action against those who obstruct our investigations to identify those responsible.

"The illegal dumping of waste is extremely costly to clean up - a cost that ultimately hits taxpayers' pockets.

"Members of the public can help by being our eyes and ears and reporting any incidents to the council so we can investigate."

The Council spends more than £2m a year keeping the Borough clean and tidy and the illegal disposal of waste places an additional burden on taxpayers.

To report fly-tipping contact Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Customer Contact Centre on (0191) 427 7000. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence. Alternatively Report It online via the Council's website at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/reportit

Further information about the safe and responsible disposal of waste can also be found at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling