Flytipping food firm fined after Redbridge grime crime operation
Published: 14 April 2026
An Ilford food outlet that fly-tipped rubbish just yards from its doorstep has been fined nearly £4000 following a court prosecution led by Redbridge Council.
The successful prosecution was the result of a detailed investigation led under Redbridge Council’s Operation Vanguard, which brings together various community safety and enforcement teams in the council to jointly tackle anti-social behaviour and grime crime in the borough.
In this case, thanks to the combined efforts of the Council’s CCTV and Neighbourhood Enforcement Teams, the investigation led to the prosecution of Chaat N Grill Ltd., and its owner and company director Irshad Ahmed, age 55.
The coordinated investigation began after a Neighbourhood Enforcement Officer, as part of inquiries, contacted the CCTV team about an incident of fly-tipping. The CCTV team reviewed the footage and also identified a further fly-tipping incident that they suspected could be linked and shared their findings with the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team.
A video clip of the first incident showed a man leaving Chaat N Grill, at 102 llford Lane, carrying cardboard and packaging waste. Having closed the store’s shutters behind him, the man carried the waste items across the road to a street litter bin, where, by pre-existing waste and bags, he dropped his own rubbish before walking away.
In the video clip of the second incident, another man was also seen walking from the direction of 102 Ilford Lane, towards the same street litter bin, carrying a white plastic bucket and bag of rubbish. Once at the street bin, he threw the items onto bags already dumped at the location, before walking away.
Investigations by Neighbourhood Enforcement Officers led to the owner and company director of Chaat N Grill Ltd., Irshad Ahmed.
When questioned, Ahmed indicated to Enforcement Officers that he would be able to provide the identities of the men responsible for the fly-tips but failed to do so – resulting in two £1000 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) being issued to him for fly-tipping.
Despite being sent reminder letters the FPNs remained unpaid, eventually leading to
Chaat N Grill Ltd and Ahmed being summonsed to court.
On Tuesday 17 March 2026, Ahmed appeared at Barkingside Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to two counts of fly-tipping on behalf of himself and his company.
Ahmed admitted being responsible for the first offence, and that a casual worker who had since left his company, had dumped the waste in the second incident. However, Ahmed accepted that it was his waste and it had been dumped illegally.
Chaat N Grill Ltd and Ahmed were jointly fined and ordered to pay Court and Council’s costs, totalling £3845.
Redbridge Council’s Director of Community Safety, John Richards, said: “We have zero tolerance for fly-tipping, and it’s something we are pursuing vigorously to hold those responsible accountable. Under Operation Vanguard our teams across the council are now working together more closely than ever to share intelligence and resources to bring grime crime offenders to justice. This prosecution should serve as a strong warning that Redbridge Council will continue taking tough action against those who violate our spaces by dumping rubbish on the street.”
Operation Vanguard is a coordinated approach that brings together various enforcement and community safety teams across the council, including CCTV, Trading Standards, Neighbourhood Enforcement, and the Community Protection Task Force.
Together, they will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to:
• Anti-social behaviour
• Fly-tipping
• Environmental crime
Under Operation Vanguard local people will see more visible patrols, faster action, and stronger enforcement across the borough, all focused on keeping our communities safe, clean, and welcoming.
Local people can also help. If you see something, say something. Report fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour to the council via the Report It page: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/report-it/
Report crime to the police. Every report helps the Council and Police to take action and hold offenders accountable.
