Middlesbrough fly-tipper 'ran amok' near children's nursery

A fly-tipper dumped "vanload after vanload" of rubbish on a 60-tonne pile to make a "quick grubby buck".

Darren Mills charged people £120 to £150 as "Daz Van Man Mills" to remove their waste.

He then tipped it opposite a children's day nursery in Middlesbrough.

At Teesside Crown Court, Mills, of Shakespeare Avenue, Grangetown, admitted several environmental breaches and was given a nine-month jail term suspended for 18 months.

The site near the Turford Social Club in Brambles Farm, was described as "one of the worst" seen in Middlesbrough.

Officials found just over 61 tonnes of waste next to homes and near Brambles Primary Academy and Minnow's Children's Day Nursery.

Mills was spotted adding to the mountains of rubbish on the council-owned site as he dumped fridges, mattresses, gas canisters, sofas, tyres and large bags between April and December 2021.

Anthony Pettengell, prosecuting for Middlesbrough Council, said Mills "attended on several occasions, depositing an unquantifiable albeit significant amount of waste without a permit".

The piles of rubbish at the site meant nearby residents had problems with rats, flies and smells, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It cost more than £14,000 for the council to clear up the mess, using a specialist company to deal with the hazardous chemicals in the fridges and gas bottles.

Mills, who had worked in waste management for about 15 years, did not admit dumping all the rubbish and denied depositing two tonnes of asbestos sheeting.

However, he admitted three charges of dumping controlled waste and operating a regulated facility without an environmental permit and disposing of hazardous waste.

The prosecution accepted his account that he was not the only fly-tipper that used the site.

Tom Bennett, defending, said: "He accepts he was certainly a large contributor to [the mess].

"There has been no offending since. This was some time ago. This has made him realise what he should have done in the first place."

He said it could not be determined how much of the 61 tonnes or the £14,000 clean-up costs were attributable to Mills, who was now out of work, receiving universal credit and living with his parents.

Judge Chris Smith said the defendant had shown "persistent and flagrant disregard" for the law.

"There were multiple deposits, sometimes your van was seen going to that site more than once a day, over several months.

"You knew from over a decade working in this industry what you should do. And to make a quick, grubby buck, you sought to just ignore the rules.

"You ran amok, dumping vanload after vanload."

Handing down a suspended jail sentence, Judge Smith said a prison term would harm Mills' three children.

He also imposed 30 days' rehabilitation activity and 240 hours' unpaid work.

Additionally, Mills was banned from carrying other people's waste in his vehicle or advertising or promoting waste-related services for five years.

He was ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and had his van confiscated.