Guilty plea after containers of waste dumped in Canterbury

A Sittingbourne man has pleaded guilty in court to dumping large bulkers of controlled waste on land in Canterbury and been fined a total of £365.

Robin Dennis Turner, 74, of Crossways in the town, appeared at Margate Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 27 November.

The court heard that Canterbury City Council’s Environmental Crime Officers and officers from Kent Police’s Rural Task Force had received reports that the containers were being dumped in The Boundary to the rear of Boots and Hobbycraft on the retail estate.

Following a tip off that the truck carrying the bulkers was back in Canterbury on 18 June 2024, officers made their way to the site where they located both the truck and two bulkers, one which had already been dropped earlier that morning.

In court, Turner claimed that he was just the driver and was instructed to move and drop the bulkers from unknown locations in Kent.

These bulkers were full of household and domestic waste from sites that were storing large amounts of waste which needed to be moved quickly. Turner would collect the bulkers and then drop them at locations as instructed.

They were dumped illegally on land without the landowner’s permission.

Turner pleaded guilty under Section 34 (5) of the Environment Protection Act 1990 for failing to produce any documentation to officers when requested that showed where the waste had originated from.

Due to other large outstanding court fines, he was given a reduced fine of £200, with a surcharge of £80 and prosecution costs reduced to £85 – a total to pay £365.

Canterbury City Council’s Cabinet member for enforcement, Cllr Connie Nolan, said: “This case highlights how waste was illegally transported and dumped in our district on a significant scale. These are big containers filled to the brim with rubbish that were blighting our community.

“It’s an excellent piece of work by our officers and their police colleagues to identify the problem and react swiftly to a tip off to catch the defendant right in the act.

“Criminals are always seeking new ways to transport and dispose of their illegal waste but we remain vigilant and ready to tackle such blatant law breaking.”

Published: 3 December 2025