A HARLOW resident who dumped rubbish in Redbridge before moving to Birmingham has been successfully prosecuted for fly-tipping.

Martin Stokes, age 34, was ordered to pay more than £2000 in fines after being found guilty of fly-tipping twice in Redbridge.

Stokes was living in Moorfield, in Harlow,, when he committed the offences, and was identified as the culprit behind the grime crimes following an investigation by Redbridge Council’s Enforcement Team. Enforcement Officers were alerted to the dumped rubbish after quick-thinking locals reported they had seen fly-tipping taking place in Chadwell Heath. 

The first fly-tip was spotted taking place at garages between Sommerville Road and Brian Road, and the second took place in the street at Fields Park Crescent. 

During their investigation, Enforcement Officers uncovered evidence, including CCTV footage linking Stokes to both incidents. In the CCCTV clips, Stokes can first be seen dumping large piles of vegetation and household waste from the back of a yellow Ford Transit van. 

The same van is then captured again on CCTV, two days later, being used by Stokes to dispose of a double bed mattress and a large fridge/freezer onto the road.

Two fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping – totalling £2000 – were issued to Stokes by Redbridge Council, but the documentation was later returned in the post marked as ‘not here’. Further investigation by the Enforcement Team led to a court prosecution case against Stokes, and he was summoned to appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court. However, he failed to appear on the day, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest.

Stokes, who had moved to Lismore Drive, Birmingham, was arrested in the West Midlands and appeared at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 8 July 2025, along with his solicitor, via video link, and pleaded guilty to the two fly-tipping charges. He was fined and ordered to pay court and council costs, totalling £2,260.

Redbridge Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety, Cllr Khayer Chowdhury, said: “We have zero tolerance for those who treat our borough disrespectfully and will not tolerate people fly-tipping in Redbridge. This prosecution is testament to our commitment to holding law breakers to account for their behaviour, and the lengths our teams will go to to find those responsible – even when the offender changes address.” 

If you spot a fly-tip in the borough, you can easily report it online through the council’s Report It page.

All fly tips reported to the council are recorded and investigated, with enforcement action taken if evidence is found. The council aims to clear all recorded fly-tips on council land and the highway within 24 hours of it being reported. You can also submit evidence of perpetrators or their vehicles on the Council’s Report It page, which will aid enforcement investigations.

Alternatively, use Redbridge Council’s Love Clean Streets app to help make reporting local street scene issues even easier—report fly-tips, missed bin collections, potholes and more at the touch of a button.