TWO AO employees who dumped an American-style fridge freezer in Hartley Wespall have been ordered to pay over £4,500. 

Jay Smith, 30, of Eastern Avenue, Southsea, and Richard Stuart, 28, formerly of Mayfield Road, Gosport, pleaded guilty to depositing controlled waste without an environmental permit.

The offence took place on Saturday, December 4, 2021, in Rotherwick Lane

The defendants, who were employed by AO Retail Limited at the time, had collected the fridge freezer from a customer, who had taken delivery of a new one a few days earlier. The customer had paid AO Retail Limited an extra fee for the removal of the old one.

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On Monday, December 6, 2021, a street cleaning team from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council was called to Rotherwick Lane where they found an American-style fridge freezer along with cardboard packaging containing the name and address of the AO customer.

The council’s environmental enforcement team contacted the customer, who was able to provide the paperwork from AO Retail Limited confirming the collection and disposal fee. Officers then contacted AO who provided the full contact details of their former employees, who had carried out the collection.

Smith appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, August 22, and was fined £1,661, with costs of £814.80 and a victim surcharge of £166.

Stuart did not attend court and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested on Thursday, September 14 and appeared at Mold Magistrates' Court on the same day. He pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined £1,133, with £814.80 costs and a victim surcharge of £113.

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The council's cabinet member for residents’ services and housing Cllr Laura James said: “This case sends out a strong message that dumping something is never the easy option as it could end up with a criminal record and a fine. Fly-tipping is totally unacceptable and a real nuisance for local communities. People have a right to take pride in their area without someone else using their streets and green spaces as a dumping ground.

"We will always take action where possible and witnesses can make a big difference. The information from the customer and the company in this case helped with this successful prosecution.

“I would encourage anyone who spots a fly-tipping offence taking place, to contact us with the details.”

An AO spokesperson said: “We take the responsibility of recycling our customers' appliances correctly very seriously, so we were extremely shocked to hear about this incident. 

"On this occasion, our employees fell well below the high standards we expect and we can confirm that both are no longer with the business. 

"We have spoken to the customer but would like to take this opportunity to apologise again for any inconvenience caused by these individuals.”

Fly-tipping offences carry a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment at the crown court.