Today's most viewed
Tendring: MP to be fined for flytipping
HARWICH MP Douglas Carswell is due to receive a fixed penalty notice for littering.
Mr Carswell is due to receive a demand for £75 from Tendring Council for allegedly dumping rubbish.
However, Mr Carswell, who has led litter picks and says he is an ardent recycler, refutes the accusation and said he will dispute it.
The Gazette understands the incident relates to rubbish found dumped near Mr Carswell's home in Thorpe last month.
Information found inside the rubbish sack has led the council to Mr Carswell.
However, Mr Carswell, who was informed of the impending fixed penalty notice by the Gazette, said: "I fiercely and vigorously dispute the idea that I have disposed of my rubbish in an inappropriate way.
" It is nonsense. Only this Bank Holiday weekend, I visited the municipal dump at Kirby le Soken and disposed of a number of items for recycling."
He added: "I have not received a notice and I think it is pretty shocking that someone can be accused like this without having received a notice. Dirty tricks in the literal sense of the words.
He continued: "I find this all bizarre. It is laughable but also quite unpleasant."
Mr Carswell said he was contacting Tendring Council asking for more information.
Mr Carswell has orchestrated a number of litter picks and is recently wrote to Tendring Council to suggest organising another clear-up near Brook Retail Park in Clacton.
He confirmed he put out his own rubbish from his house in Thorpe. He added: "I have a bin which is secure which I put my rubbish in because I am conscious of the problem of mice and rats.
"I recycle plastic bottles, glass and newspapers and drive to the dump deliberately to make sure they are recycled."
Nigel Brown, Tendring Council's communications manager, said the council was proactive over littering and fly-tipping and aims to call offenders to account where it has the evidence to do so.
He added: "It is not the council's policy to reveal the names of anyone who is served with a fixed penalty notice.
"Where a notice is served and the £75 fine is not paid it is the council's policy to pursue non-payers through the courts."
It is not the first time Mr Carswell has run into trouble with Tendring Council.
Two years ago, he failed to pay his council tax for his flat in Nelson Road, Clacton, after a computer hitch.
Mr Carswell was called to account after the quarterly payment for his council tax did not go through.
North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin, who has led calls for more to be done to track down flytippers, declined to comment on the accusation being levelled at his Conservative counterpart.
9:44am Thursday 8th May 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: Paul Scott, Witham on 4:48pm Thu 8 May 08
A drunk 'dole claimant', living the good life under the local labour council more then likely kicked this chaps bin bag down the road from his property whilst he was out at work... then he gets picked on as its found 'dumped' by a street warden...
This is typical of new labour enforcers... rather then go after the person kicking the bin bag or throwing litter down deliberately in the street... they pick on someone when its pretty clear his trash was moved by another party. Its just like another recent case where someone who dropped a bus ticket whilst trying to get coins out their wallet and hadn't even noticed it drop, was given a fine ticket by a warden, whilst the same warden was seen to ignore yobs throwing beer cans into the road out of fear of being assaulted by them... it beggars belief.
These laws are supposed to be targetted at proper transgressions such as fly tipping or delibate littering, not those that have their bin bags moved by yobs or drop a chip.
A drunk 'dole claimant', living the good life under the local labour council more then likely kicked this chaps bin bag down the road from his property whilst he was out at work... then he gets picked on as its found 'dumped' by a street warden...
This is typical of new labour enforcers... rather then go after the person kicking the bin bag or throwing litter down deliberately in the street... they pick on someone when its pretty clear his trash was moved by another party. Its just like another recent case where someone who dropped a bus ticket whilst trying to get coins out their wallet and hadn't even noticed it drop, was given a fine ticket by a warden, whilst the same warden was seen to ignore yobs throwing beer cans into the road out of fear of being assaulted by them... it beggars belief.
These laws are supposed to be targetted at proper transgressions such as fly tipping or delibate littering, not those that have their bin bags moved by yobs or drop a chip.
Posted by: Marion, Clacton on 8:05pm Thu 8 May 08
The question has to be asked, what on earth would motivate Mr Carswell to dump his rubbish near his home? Can't say I've ever had an urge to lug one of my bin bags some distance down the road and leave it there - it's far easier to put it at the gate and wait for the binmen to collect it! I too suspect that a third party was involved in this.
The question has to be asked, what on earth would motivate Mr Carswell to dump his rubbish near his home? Can't say I've ever had an urge to lug one of my bin bags some distance down the road and leave it there - it's far easier to put it at the gate and wait for the binmen to collect it! I too suspect that a third party was involved in this.
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
