Sofa Dumped Behind Lockmeadow in Broad Daylight Costs Gillingham Company Director £1,075

A company director has been ordered to pay £1,075 after CCTV caught a sofa being dumped behind Lockmeadow in Maidstone - a prosecution Maidstone Borough Council says shows fly-tippers that acting in broad daylight is no guarantee of getting away with it.

On 30 March 2026, CCTV captured a white van driving into the private service area behind Lockmeadow. Three people got out, removed a red sofa from the back of the van and left it at the site, before driving off. Security staff spotted the incident on CCTV and passed the footage to the council.

Council officers traced the van's registration to a building and decorating company based in Gillingham, and further enquiries identified its 49-year-old director as responsible. A Fixed Penalty Notice was issued, but with no response received, the council took the case to Medway Magistrates' Court.

The case was heard on 27 October 2026 under the Single Justice Procedure. No plea was entered, and the director was found guilty on the evidence presented by the council - fined £660 and ordered to pay a £264 victim surcharge and £151 in costs, bringing the total to £1,075.

Cllr Clive English, Maidstone Borough Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Enforcement, said: "This was a brazen act in broad daylight, but those responsible did not realise they were being caught on camera. Our officers traced the vehicle and gathered the evidence needed to take the case to court. There is no excuse for fly-tipping and we will take action where we can. We also urge residents to Check Before They Chuck and make sure anyone taking away their rubbish is a licensed waste carrier." The case is part of the countywide 'Check Before They Chuck' campaign, which reminds residents that if they pay someone to take away their rubbish, they're responsible for checking that person is a registered waste carrier, asking where the waste will go, and keeping a record of the vehicle registration. Source: Maidstone Borough Council