Reece Dulay, 32, dumped huge amounts of waste on Law Street in Bradford, West Yorkshire, before setting it on fire, a court has been told. He has now been fined for the act
A cowboy fly tipper has been slapped with a fine after torching massive heaps of rubbish he had illegally abandoned.
Damning CCTV footage shows Reece Dulay, 32, dumping the waste on Law Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire, before igniting it last summer, a court heard. It comes as Britain’s ‘biggest fly tip’ was revealed earlier this year.
Dulay can be spotted wearing a black shirt as he piles up garden refuse, plastics, car components, scrap metal, wood, and discarded household goods moments before the ‘mountain’ of debris bursts into flames.
Waseem Raja, representing Bradford Council in the prosecution, revealed that officials had received complaints about illegal dumping at the location in June 2024, with officers later examining the area on July 1.
The court heard that Dulay had promoted waste collection services on Facebook, boasting there was “no job too big” for him.
Following local investigations, nearby surveillance cameras captured a fully-laden Ford Transit making multiple trips to the site and offloading refuse.
Mr Raja confirmed that the individual spotted in the footage was Dulay.
Warning letters were dispatched to Dulay regarding the illegal tipping and his failure to supply a waste transfer notice, while he was also invited to meet with Environmental Enforcement officers to account for his behaviour.
The court heard he failed to turn up for the interview appointment and did not respond to written enquiries.
During joint investigations with police, the council discovered the transit van was registered to an owner in Hull, though only Dulay held insurance to operate it. Earlier this year, the vehicle was discovered crammed with rubbish and dumped on Factory Street, though it was contended he hadn’t discarded the van.
It was seized, and documentation connecting the vehicle to Dulay was discovered inside. Mr Raja stated the case had cost the council £2,673 in clean-up expenses and prosecution fees.
He continued: “This was a deliberate act, he flagrantly disregarded the law.” Mr Haworth, representing the defendant, explained that Dulay battles mental health issues, including anxiety and depression.
He continued: “The length of time it has taken to come to sentencing has exacerbated is struggles.” He informed the court that Dulay had utilised the location to sift through non-hazardous rubbish, incinerating portions of it.
He stated: “The skips didn’t belong to him – people were already tipping waste on the site before he did.
“His intention was not to create an illegal waste site, but to dispose of waste in a manner he felt was done responsibly.”
The court was informed that Dulay is truly repentant and now understands the work cannot be undertaken without proper permits. Magistrates heard that Dulay had cleared all the rubbish from the location – including waste he hadn’t deposited himself.
Dulay received his sentence at Bradford Magistrates Court on Friday following his guilty plea to three fly-tipping related offences. These offences included depositing without an environmental permit controlled, extractive waste, being an unregistered carrier transporting controlled waste in course of business and otherwise with view to profit and failing to take measures when managing extractive waste to prevent contraventions and the escape of waste.
Magistrates issued Dulay, of Sutton Crescent, with a 12-month community order, which will entail 60 hours of unpaid work.
He has been ordered to pay £1,500 in costs and a surcharge of £114.
Furthermore, he was served with a criminal behaviour order prohibiting him from participating in any waste business or waste removal activities for a period of three years.