Felixstowe man Craig Friston fined over £2,000 for abandoning rubbish-filled caravan in the street

A man from Felixstowe has been fined over £2,000 for leaving a rubbish-filled caravan, containing 1,520kg of waste, in a street.

Craig Friston first appeared at Suffolk Magistrates' Court in Ipswich on September 26, having been charged with breaching section 2(1) of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978.

The court heard that the caravan was left on land off Reedland Way.

It was in poor condition, was filled with rubbish, and with waste on the ground around it

East Suffolk Council’s Customer Services team first received reports of the caravan on October 20, 2021.

An inspection was carried out the next day.

Subsequent visits found that the caravan had been abandoned by Friston, and on 6 December, he and Samantha Friston were sent notices to remove the caravan within seven days.

This deadline was not met, and in January, East Suffolk Council intervened, removing the caravan, which included a double mattress.

Some of the rubbish contained the names of Friston and his family.

He did not attend the sentencing and was found guilty in his absence.

In total, Friston was fined £660 for the offence, £66 for the victim surcharge and £1,380 in costs, totalling £2,106.

Conservative Councillor, James Mallinder, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for the environment said there was absolutely no reason for shamelessly dumping a caravan in a residential area for someone else to clear away.

He noted that filling it with rubbish was completely unacceptable.

Cllr Mallinder added: “As well as being unsightly, abandoned vehicles are a safety hazard and a nuisance to other residents and should always be disposed of properly.

"Caravans in good condition can be sold or even donated, and those in poor condition can be removed by a specialist company.