Stamping down on Blackburn’s waste offenders

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s environmental crime team have secured another nine waste prosecutions for eight people, totalling almost £5,000.

The incidents, which included accumulating waste in backyards or leaving black bags in back alleys, took place from February 2025; and mainly came from concerns raised by neighbours.

When it comes to bags in the back alley, an environmental crime officer attends to confirm who the waste belongs to by searching through it. The perpetrators then receive letters inviting them to a PACE interview, however in this case, none of the perpetrators attended and were subsequently issued a fixed penalty notice of £75 for littering.

The fixed penalty notice was ignored by all perpetrators, and therefore they were pursued for legal action.

As a result, they now have a criminal record and must pay much higher fees.

If the perpetrators had attended the interview originally, they could have received a simple caution.

In the case of those accumulating rubbish in their backyard, if they had removed the rubbish themselves, they too could have avoided prosecution.

Mr Shahzad Akber of Carham Road, Blackburn, BB1 8NX was fined £220, with costs of £355 and a victim surcharge of £88, for allowing waste to be dumped on their land without taking action.

Miss Melissa Mitchell of 74 Hall Street, Blackburn, BB2 3SD was fined £220, with costs of £383 and a victim surcharge of £88, for accumulating waste in their own backyard.

Mr Ahsan Muhammad of Burlington Street, Blackburn, BB2 6ES was fined £220, with costs of £181.50 and a victim surcharge of £88, for dumping bin bags in a back alley.

Mrs Kosar Rehana of Burlington Street, Blackburn, BB2 6ES was fined £220, with costs of £181.50 and a victim surcharge of £88, for dumping bin bags in a back alley.

Ambreen Pervaiz Saleem of Hollin Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 4JH (referring to land on Clayton Street, Blackburn) was fined £146, with costs of £487 and a victim surcharge of £58 for allowing waste to be dumped on their land, without taking action.

Miss Christina Whittle of Anyon Street, Darwen, BB3 3AA was fined £440 for two incidents, with costs of £302 and a victim surcharge of £176, for dumping bin bags in a back alley.

Miss Leah Wiggett of Sudellside Street, Darwen, BB3 3DL was fined £220, with costs of £191.50 and a victim surcharge of £88, for accumulating waste in their own backyard.

Mr Steven Wright of Sudellside Street, Darwen, BB3 3DL was fined £220, with costs of £191.50 and a victim surcharge of £88, for accumulating waste in their own backyard.

This totalled £4,721.

Councillor Jim Smith, Executive Member for Environment and Communities said: ‘’I’m very grateful to our environmental crime team who despite being small in number, manage to have a mighty effect on tackling littering, fly-tipping and other waste issues in the borough.

‘’Sending perpetrators for prosecution is a clear message that we don’t accept such negligence in Blackburn with Darwen. And to think that they could have avoided such penalties by coming and having a chat with us, is ludicrous.

‘’If you as a resident are unsure on how to dispose of your waste, we can help, there’s not always a need for it to get to this stage.

‘’But avoid responsibility and you will have to pay for it.’’