Denton woman fined for fly-tipping black bags of rubbish

A Denton woman has been ordered to pay more than £500 after admitting to dumping several black bin bags of rubbish on a street near her home.

Tameside Magistrates’ Court heard that waste enforcement officers from Tameside Council traced the bags, found dumped on Mill Lane, Denton, on 19 August 2024, to local resident Chelsea Wilkinson, of Mill Lane.

Ms Wilkinson was initially offered the chance to pay a Fixed Penalty Notice but ignored all correspondence from the council. She failed to attend a court hearing on 15 August 2025, leading magistrates to issue a warrant for her arrest.

She was later bailed to attend court on 22 October 2025, where she pleaded guilty to fly-tipping.

In mitigation, Ms Wilkinson claimed she had not received any of the letters sent by the council and said the incident occurred because her partner had mistakenly “put the rubbish out with the bins.”

Magistrates fined her £120 and ordered her to pay £340 in costs and a £48 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £508.

Commenting on the case, Cllr Laura Boyle, Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Environmental Services and Neighbourhoods, said: “There’s no excuse for fly-tipping. It is a blight on our communities, ruining the appearance of our neighbourhoods and showing complete disrespect to residents who manage their waste responsibly and look after their local areas. We have teams out every day clearing up and investigating fly-tipping, and we will always take enforcement action on behalf of our community where we find evidence.”

Tameside Council reminds residents that it does not collect non-recyclable side waste, excess bags left next to or on top of bins, as this is classed as fly-tipping. However, additional recycling materials may be placed out for collection if clearly identifiable in a transparent bag.