Unlawful development and disposal of waste earns man $27,500 in fines

Break the law and you will be caught.

The City of Wagga Wagga has issued a stern warning to those who flout the rules following an important victory in the Wagga Wagga Local Court on Wednesday 21 September.

A 51-year-old Wagga excavator operator was fined a total of $27,500 after pleading guilty to a number of offences as an individual and a company director.

The charges were laid before the local court following an investigation by City of Wagga Wagga staff that uncovered transportation and illegal depositing waste and unlawful development at a Laurel Road five-acre block owned by the offender Richard Foster.

"This is an important victory for Council and the community and it should serve as a warning for anyone who chooses to break the law," General Manager Alan Eldridge said.

"During the investigation, other local construction and demolition companies were also issued with infringement notices totalling $12,000.

"This result reflects the community's expectations in relation to the unlawful disposal of waste in our city and the hefty penalties are a deterrent to anyone considering unlawfully disposing of waste."

Council investigators attended the Laurel Road premises in March and spoke to Mr Foster. At the time, photo evidence was obtained of a large stock pile of building and domestic waste.

The evidence shown to the court identified building waste linked to a local construction site that was dumped at the site without Council authority. Staff also observed several offences relating to the non-compliance of an inground pool at the same site.

Residents can report illegal dumping at ridonline.epa.nsw.gov.au and are reminded they don't need to have witnessed the incident take place in order to make a valuable report.