One Wandsworth resident can look forward to a knock on the door from the council’s litter squad following an investigation into the discovery of a huge flytip on a Balham housing estate.

As part of the ongoing investigation a resident in Nimrod Road will need to answer questions as to how waste from their address was found dumped by garages on a housing estate just over a mile away in Dornton Road.

Evidence linking the flytip to their address was found amongst a pile of debris found on December 12, including unwanted beds, mattresses an ironing board and large amounts of broken furniture and timber.

As a result of the flytip discovery, the householder could now face prosecution. The maximum penalty that can be imposed by the courts following conviction for a serious flytip offence is an unlimited fine and/or a prison sentence of up to five years.

Wandsworth Times:

Wandsworth’s Environment spokesman Cllr Steffi Sutters said: “This shocking discovery shows just what councils are up against when it comes to the professional flytipping industry.

“Unfortunately there are plenty of cowboys cruising around residential areas in vans looking for homes with waste that needs removing.

“Often the householders are delighted to get rid of it on the cheap – and don’t think they’re doing anything wrong – but in reality they are committing an offence for which they could face serious legal sanctions as well as getting a criminal record.

“And on top of that both they and all their neighbours end up paying the clean-up bill so it ultimately ends up costing them a lot more than they think.”