Repeat offender ordered to pay more than £6,000 for latest waste offence
22 May 2025
A man has been ordered to pay more than £6,000 in fines and costs after finding himself in court over waste related offences for the second time in less than two years.
Umit Bilgin’s first appearance before Northampton Magistrates came on 6 June 2023, after waste belonging to him was dumped in Spectacle Lane, Moulton.
Magistrates ordered him to pay £3,350 in fines and costs on that occasion.
However, the day before that hearing, Neighbourhood Wardens from West Northamptonshire Council had found yet more rubbish belonging to Bilgin while patrolling Duke Street in Northampton.
It resulted in the 45-year-old being issued with another summons to appear at court, where on Monday, 12 May 2025, he was convicted for a second time of failing in his duty of care to ensure his household waste was disposed of properly.
This time Bilgin, of Patterdale Walk in Northampton, was ordered to pay a £2,000 fine, plus a victim surcharge of £800 and prosecution costs of £3,500.
While demonstrating the Council’s commitment to dealing with fly-tipping, the case also highlights the difficulties officers sometimes face when prosecuting such offences.
Bilgin refused to engage with the officers’ enquiries or the investigation process and had to be issued with an arrest warrant after failing to appear at the first scheduled court date on 16 January 2024.
And when he failed to appear at the second scheduled court date of 7, May 2024, a further arrest warrant was issued.
His first court appearance eventually came on 3 March this year, when he pleaded not guilty, leading to the trial on Monday, 12 May.
“Listening to our residents on the doorstep, dealing with fly-tipping is clearly a top priority for them and we will be stepping up our efforts to tackle environmental crimes and hold offenders to account.Cllr Nigel Stansfield, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste
“We would urge people to continue supporting our work by reporting fly-tipping, littering and other environmental crimes on our website or via the West Northamptonshire Council app.”