On 10 May, two men were sentenced at Leamington Spa Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to charges of depositing waste without a permit.
This was thanks to a joint investigation between Warwickshire Police and Solihull Council’s Regulatory Services Team.
Mr Ionut Bancunlea, 33 of Claremont Road in Smethwick, pleaded guilty to four charges of depositing waste without a permit.
He was given a community order with a 12-month 150-hour unpaid work requirement and ten days of rehabilitation activities.
Mr Bancunlea is also required to pay compensation amounting to £1,565.84 as well as a victims’ surcharge of £114 and £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Mr Adrian Bivolaru, 34 of Parkhill Road in Smethwick, pleaded guilty to two charges of depositing waste without a permit.
He was given a community order with a 12-month 80-hour unpaid work requirement and ten days of rehabilitation activities.
Bivolaru is required to pay £200 worth of compensation, as well as £114 victims’ surcharge and £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
This was after a widely-publicised incident on Wednesday 7 February 2024 at around 3:24pm, when officers were called to a fly tipping incident on Maxstoke Lane in Meriden.
Bancunlea and Bivolaru had been depositing building site waste from their vans along a private farm track when the landowners had blocked them in and called the police.
On the arrival of the police, the two men were instructed to load the waste back into their vehicles, at which point the vans were seized as evidence.
A social media post from the Operational Patrol Unit showed pictures from the cleanup and led to other fly tipping offences being reported and linked to Bancunlea and Bivolaru.
The officers were also contacted by Solihull Council’s Regulatory Services Team, who recognised the men as having been involved in offences committed in the West Midlands.
The four offences that led to these charges were, in date order:
- On Fen End Road in Fen End, Solihull between 23 and 25 June 2023
- On Fen End Road in Fen End, Solihull on 8 September 2023
- On Packington Lane in Maxstoke on 16 November 2023
- On Maxstoke Lane in Meriden on 7 February 2024.
Sgt Simms of the Rural Crime Team said: “Dropping waste at the side of the road ruins our beautiful countryside and wastes precious resources from our local councils that could be better invested elsewhere to clean it up.
“It also stops businesses like farms from being able to operate while the owners deal with the mess, often leaving them out of pocket as well.
“We are very happy that the OPU were quick to assist landowners and able to catch them in the act on this occasion, and we share in the satisfaction that Banunclea and Bivolaru were made to clean up at least one of their messes.
“I’m extremely pleased that the Rural Crime Team (who progressed the investigation with assistance from Solihull Council and concerned members of public) have seen these offenders being suitably punished.”
A Solihull Council spokesperson said: “In Solihull, we take pride in our community. Protecting and enhancing our natural environment has always been a priority and it is important to keep it safe and pleasant for residents to live in.
“Solihull Council works hard to ensure the areas are clean and well-maintained. We’re pleased that this fine and community order has been issued and that fly-tipping cases are taken seriously.
“We will continue to prosecute anti-social crime such as fly-tipping to the fullest extent where possible and would urge residents to report fly-tipping via the council’s website.”
Residents in Solihull can report fly-tipping to Solihull Council at: https://www.solihull.gov.uk/Roads-pavements-and-streetcare/Fly-tipping