MORE than 20 damaged coffee makers were illegally dumped at a bring site in Morrisons car park Llanelli following repeated incidents of fly tipping at bring sites enforcement officers found evidence that implicated a woman from the Bryn area of Llanelli costing her a total of £590 in fines and costs.
Samantha Podbury, aged 28, at the time of the offences lived at Brynmorlais, Bryn.
She admitted two charges of fly tipping a total of 24 coffee makers and another of not having a waste transfer note. Podbury now lives at Noddfa, Conwyl Elfed.
The court heard Carmarthenshire Count Council enforcement officers faced a puzzling issue when the first batch of 20 coffee makers was found dumped at Morrisons car park alongside waste electrical equipment recycling bins on July 4 this year and within two weeks another four were left in the same location.
The bins provide a way for householders to dispose of waste electrical equipment for free. Signs specifically ask for equipment not to be left around the containers and warn that those offending could incur a fixed penalty or prosecution.
Officers found one of the machines was labelled showing it had originated from Argos, Ammanford. When the manager was seen by an enforcement officer he explained that the particular item had been returned to Bridgewater, Somerset, as damaged goods, and he had the paperwork to prove it.
When challenged as to how often she had dumped goods at Morrisons car park Podbury said: “I might have done it twice, but I honestly can’t recall doing it anymore.”
She confirmed she had no waste transfer notes for the past two years.
County executive board member for environmental enforcement Cllr Philip Hughes said: “I have to commend the diligence of the enforcement team for their thoroughly professional conclusion to this complex investigation.
“We provide waste electrical equipment bins at various sites for householders for small electrical or electronic equipment. But any largescale disposal such at this requires the disposer to possess a waste carriers licence and the commitment to dispose of the equipment appropriately at one of our recycling centres.”
