Frankston man fined $3500 after leaving addressed mail in dumped rubbish in Seaford

A RUBBISH dumper has been heavily fined after unwisely leaving mail addressed to his Frankston home at the scene of the crime.

A RUBBISH dumper has been heavily fined after leaving mail addressed to his Frankston home at the scene of the crime.

Scott Cecil Page, who did not appear, was convicted and fined $3500 at Frankston Magistrates’ Court this morning for discarding a truckload of old household items on a Seaford roadside.

In July council officers visited the Old Wells Rd location and found all sorts of useless stuff dumped, including busted couches, broken baskets, soiled blankets, a soft toy — and a letter with Page’s name and address on it.

They visited him but he refused to say why he had left the rubbish on the roadside a few kilometres from his home.

Frankston Council prosecutor Gustav Cook told the court this reckless action would have taken planning.

“A vast amount of litter was dumped in a remote location,” Mr Cook said.

“He couldn’t have carried it there by himself, he would have had to use a vehicle.”

Mr Cook said the council has since removed the rubbish, but had not charged Page for the service.

Judicial Registrar Julian Bartlett said there needed to be a strong deterrent to dumping.

“This happens all too often in our community,” Mr Bartlett said.

“People think it is okay to dump their rubbish in hidden areas; it isn’t.”

Page was convicted and fined $3500, and will also have to pay court costs of $122.

The council is clamping down hard on litterers, with a similar case heard at the same court just one week ago.

In that matter a man was convicted and fined $5000 for dumping massive amounts of garbage at Baxter Park.