Persistent waste offenders given Criminal Behaviour Orders & banned from Northants

01 November 2021

Five people who have been troubling Northamptonshire with piles of illegal waste were given Criminal Behaviour Orders at Northamptonshire Magistrates Court on 12 October 2021 after a successful prosecution by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC).

Andrew Birt, Albert Parker, Fred Butcher, Rosemary Todd and Kelly Parker, most recently residents of Lilford Road, Achurch, were fined a total of £12,000 for breaching Community Protection Notices and given Criminal Behaviour Orders during the hearing.

The group who have been trading under the name ‘Approved Roofing Services’ or ‘Roofing Services’ have been moving around the county for several years and at each location they have settled and left numerous piles of rubbish and waste material from their business activities on verges and car parks.

During 2019, the individuals spent a period of time between Attley Way and Diamond Way, Irthlingborough and across that time accumulated waste and commercial vehicles leading to local residents making complaints to Northamptonshire Police and Councils. Reports ranged from nuisance dogs, blocked roads, anti-social behaviour, violence and large accumulations of rubbish.

Since 2019, the group have also spent time at several locations around Rushden, Amos Lawrence Park, Stanwick Road, Raunds, Park Farm Industrial Estate in Wellingborough and several locations around the A510 between Cranford Road and Woodford. At each location, hazardous material, human waste, commercial waste was all left for the local Council to clear up.

During this time, Officers from East Northamptonshire Council’s (now part of North Northamptonshire Council) Waste Team, supported by East Northants Neighbourhood Policing Team, served Community Protection Notices for the activities which were having a detrimental effect on the environment and prohibiting them from continuing in the anti-social activities.

The Notices were ignored and when Officers met with the five individuals to attempt to resolve the behaviour, the group showed little remorse or intention to change. 

As breaching a Community Protection Notice is a criminal offence the Officers had no option but to place the matter before the magistrates. Officers gathered several hundred pieces of evidence documenting the blight left by this group and spent months compiling the case.

The group did not attend the Magistrates court on 12 October and the case was heard in their absence. All five were found guilty of breaching Community Protection Notices and each defendant was ordered to pay just under £2500 each in fines and costs.

The Court then heard the applications for Criminal Behaviour Orders with each defendant receiving an individual order, prohibiting them from settling on any land in Northamptonshire without written consent of both the landowner and either NNC or West Northamptonshire Council. They are also no longer allowed to carry out any waste services, carry any waste in vehicles or illegally deposit waste of any nature, including human waste on any land within Northamptonshire. 

Behaviour like this is completely irresponsible and never acceptable and this case had a wider, long term and negative impact on other residents in the surrounding area, for whom they showed scant regard. Sadly, although exceptional, this case is not unusual and our Officers will always try to work with and educate offenders, but, continue to prosecute when appropriate.Cllr Graham Lawman, NNC Executive Member for Highways, Travel & Assets

We are very fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the country and cases like this have an extremely negative impact on our area. I would encourage anyone who spots fly-tipping or anti-social behaviour to report it.Cllr David Howes, NNC Executive Member for Rural Communities & Localism

Our Officers have worked hard on this case for more than two years, and the hard work doesn’t stop there. They will continue to work on cases like this in North Northamptonshire and Officers are also now working with colleagues in neighbouring counties to ensure that this group do not simply repeat the same anti-social behaviour in other areas.Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of NNC

In partnership with Northamptonshire Police’s East Northants Neighbourhood Team, the group were informed of the Criminal Behaviour Orders and vacated the County on 17 October 2021.