Dumped rubbish leads to guilty court plea

A Canterbury businessman whose commercial waste from four businesses was found dumped in Canterbury city centre has pleaded guilty to two environmental offences, resulting in a total financial penalty of more than £5,500.

Kabir Singh, 54, of Sevastopol Place, Canterbury, appeared at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Friday 4 September in a case brought by Canterbury City Council.

The court heard that on 30 January 2024, a council Environmental Enforcement Officer attended a reported flytip in a service area to the rear of Rose Lane in the city centre.

Between 30 and 40 black and clear sacks were discovered. Following examination of the contents, evidence linking the waste to four of Mr Singh’s stores – Irepair in St George’s Street, Metro Mobiles in the High Street, Raj’s 59 in St George’s Street and Something Different in The Parade – was identified.

A lengthy investigation ensued and, despite Mr Singh not engaging with the council, sufficient evidence was obtained to progress the case to court.

At the hearing, he pleaded guilty to one offence of failing to produce waste transfer notes when required, and one offence of failing, as a producer of waste, to take reasonable measures to prevent the commission of a waste offence by another person.

Both are offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Magistrates fined Mr Singh £1,015, imposed a victim surcharge of £406 and ordered him to pay the council’s full prosecution costs of £4,159.18, adding up to a total financial penalty of £5,580.18.

In sentencing, the court noted that Mr Singh had previously been warned, could have taken steps to check that his waste was being properly collected, had left waste unsecured and had failed to cooperate with the council’s investigation.

In summing up the court’s decision, the magistrate said: “Even your counsel said you didn’t ‘play nicely'”.

The council’s Cabinet member for enforcement, Cllr Connie Nolan, said: “I congratulate our officers who pursued this investigation so doggedly to get the case to court and secure the conviction.

“The photos showing the pile of sacks just dumped in a corner of Rose Lane are shocking. Equally as shocking is Mr Singh’s complete disregard for waste disposal rules and the appearance of our wonderful city.

“This case should serve as a reminder to all businesses to dispose of their rubbish responsibly using a licensed waste operator, because we will not hesitate to take action to tackle any future incidents of this nature.”

The graffiti in the picture was also cleaned off when the council cleared the rubbish sacks.

Published: 9 September 2026