Two fined for dumping rubbish in rural Oxfordshire

Two residents have been brought to book after admitting responsibility for separate fly-tipping incidents in the Vale of White Horse.

Failure to pay fine costs Fyfield fly-tipper

Lorna Swift, 40, of Summers Close, Kingston Bagpuize, attended Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday 13 June, when she pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing black bags full of rubbish along the Netherton Road, Fyfield, in October 2024.

A pile of black trash bags, with one orange bag on top, illegally dumped on a grassy verge next to a wooden fence and overgrown bushes. The date "23/10/2024 12:07" is visible in the bottom right corner.

Magistrates heard how Ms Swift had initially been issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice for the offence. However, she only paid £100 towards this amount and then failed to pay the remaining £300 charge. To retrieve the full amount, council officers determined that it was therefore necessary to prosecute Ms Swift.

Taking her early guilty plea and personal circumstances into account, Magistrates imposed a fine of £300 and ordered her to pay a victim surcharge of £120 and a contribution towards prosecution costs of £400. Total to pay – £820.

Featherbed Lane fly-tipper ordered to pay more than £2,400

On Friday 27 June, Mr Aleksander Todorov, 43, of Eastern Avenue, Littlemore, pleaded guilty at Oxford Magistrates’ Court to fly tipping waste in East Hendred on 10 March 2025.

Magistrates heard how Mr Todorov had been asked to do some property repairs and had agreed to take a significant amount of household waste to a recycling centre. To do this, Mr Todorov would require a Waste Carrier Licence and declare the waste as commercial.

The following day, rather than making the journey to a suitable disposal or recycling centre, he chose to dump the rubbish, including furniture and lots of bags, along Featherbed Lane.

A large pile of various household rubbish and debris, including furniture, plastics, and cardboard boxes, illegally dumped against a pale yellow brick wall. A yellow sign with black text reading "WITNESS APPEAL FLY TIPPING INCIDENT" is partially visible in the foreground.

In sentencing, Magistrates considered his early guilty plea and limited financial means and imposed a fine of £984, and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £394 and full costs of £1,070. Total to pay – £2,448.

Both cases were prosecuted by Vale of White Horse District Council.

Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Climate Action and Nature Recovery at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “There is absolutely no excuse for fly-tipping. It blights our countryside, costs taxpayers and damages our environment.”

“Our residents deserve to enjoy clean and green spaces without having to deal with other people’s rubbish. So, if you dump rubbish illegally, expect to face the consequences.”

For information on how to report fly-tipping in the Vale of White Horse, please visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/flytipping