Waseem Hussein was found guilty of breaching environment laws when he appeared at Coventry Magistrates Court
A garage owner faces a legal bill of almost £2,000 after pouring waste engine oil down the drain.
Waseem Hussein, 29, of Nunts Park Avenue, Holbrooks, was found to have breached environment laws when he appeared at Coventry Magistrates Court on November 1.
Coventry City Council said Mr Hussein was found guilty of dumping old oil from his taxi repair company in Paynes Lane, Hillfields, down storm drains, potentially polluting streams and rivers and damaging wildlife.
He was fined £552 for each offence, ordered to pay costs of £750 and a victim surcharge of £50 for each offence – totalling £1,904.
As part of the prosecution, council officers requested all documents relating to waste disposal from his business - Cab Repair - but none were available.
Mr Hussein was unable to prove where his waste oil had been taken to and “wilfully obstructed” officers in their efforts to determine this, the council said.
All businesses have a legal requirement to be able to prove that their waste has been disposed of in an appropriate manner.
Speaking afterwards, councillors Jim O’Boyle, David Welsh and Naaem Akhtar, ward councillors for St Michael’s where the offences took place, issued a joint statement, saying: “We’d like to congratulate the hard work of council officers who gathered the evidence required to prosecute Mr Hussein for his careless disregard of our local environment and the effects of his actions.
“This kind of behaviour is not just irresponsible, it is criminal, as his prosecution shows – and as a Council we will always prosecute.
“We rely on the vigilance of members of the public, so if you see something that you know isn’t right, please do report it.
“We take allegations seriously and will investigate.”
The Telegraph has tried to contact Mr Hussein for a comment.
Anyone who wants to report fly tipping at http://www.coventry.gov.uk/reportflytipping or call 08085 834333
I dread to think what other fluids he may have poured down the drain?
