A Southall-man has been given a fine of over £1,000 for fly-tipping a car battery at Osterley Park after a hearing at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court. 

Waseem Ahmed Ali, of St Crispin's Close in Southall, has been ordered to pay £1,282 after he pleaded guilty to fly-tipping at a hearing at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court. 

The court heard that on Friday 29th October 2021, Ali was caught on a resident's CCTV camera fly-tipping the car battery after taking it from the boot of a car and taking it to some bushes at Osterley Park, an area which has previously been flagged to Ealing Council as a problem area for fly-tipping by volunteers of LAGER Can. 

The CCTV footage and a witness statement was sent to Ealing Council officers and they found that the vehicle was a rental car in the possession of Ali. 

Ali had already admitted to the offence to Ealing Council officers prior to going to court, but failed to pay a fixed penalty notice of £400 and was subsequently summoned to court. 

Councillor Deirdre Costigan, the council's cabinet member for climate action, said: "We are pleased with the court's decision. Car batteries are classed as a hazardous material and they need specialist disposal.  

"They can be taken to the Greenford Re-use and Recycle Centre free of charge, and there is no excuse for a battery being dumped – let alone thrown into the bushes of a park used by the public. 

"We are thankful to the resident who spotted the offence taking place. The council takes all fly-tipping seriously and has adopted a zero-tolerance policy.  

"It is anti-social, costs public money to clear up and is potentially dangerous to others. We hope this decision by the court will make it clear to the small minority who fly-tip that the council will not tolerate this behaviour and that we will take legal action where we can." 

Magistrates' sentencing powers allow them to issue a fine or a prison sentence of up to 12 months for fly-tipping offences, but after taking into account his early admission of guilt to council officers and his guilty plea at court decided on the fine. 

These factors meant his fine was reduced from £600 to £400, but he was also made to pay legal costs of £842 and a victim surcharge of £40 - meaning the total fine is £1,282.