Couch to court as Rochdale man fined for fly-tipping sofa

Wednesday, 3 September 2025 22:43

By David Murphy

A Rochdale resident has been fined after CCTV footage showed a hired vehicle being used to dump waste, including a sofa, on Corporation Road.

A Rochdale man has been ordered to pay more than £1,300 after admitting responsibility for a fly-tipping incident that saw bags of rubbish and a sofa discarded on a town centre road.

Shahab Din, of Brimrod Lane, appeared at Tameside Magistrates’ Court on Friday 15 August. He pleaded guilty to one offence of being in control of a vehicle from which waste was tipped, an offence under section 33(5) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

CCTV captured a six-minute recording of the vehicle, which Mr Din had hired, being driven to Corporation Road on 26 January this year. An individual was seen unloading multiple bags of waste and dragging a sofa from the back of the van before leaving the scene.

Mr Din was fined £615 and ordered to pay £532.18 in costs plus a £246 victim surcharge.

Councillor Tricia Ayrton, deputy leader of Rochdale Council and portfolio holder for climate change and environment, said:
“Footage shared clearly shows the blatant dumping of waste and a heavy sofa, which can be seen being dragged from the vehicle, taking more than six minutes to empty.

“We all have a duty to dispose of waste responsibly at recycling centres, through licensed carriers, or through free bulky waste collections. We will enforce fines and penalties on those who simply do not respect our borough, and we thank those who report incidents like this to us.”

Rochdale Council offers two free bulky waste collections of up to three items per household each year, with additional items charged at £8. Collections can be booked up to three weeks in advance via rochdale.gov.uk/bulkywaste.

Residents can also report fly-tipping at rochdale.gov.uk/flytipping or by calling 0300 303 8884.