Fly-tipper gets a full house of fines after dumping waste at a Redbridge bingo hall
Published: 17 July 2026
A serial fly-tipper from Birmingham has been successfully prosecuted over rubbish found dumped outside a bingo hall in Redbridge.
Martin Stokes, aged 30 of Endwood Court Road, was fined nearly £4000 in court following a Redbridge Council led prosecution over a large fly-tip found at Buzz Bingo Hall, in Fairlop Road, Barkingside.
Redbridge Council Enforcement Officers were first alerted to the incident after bingo hall staff discovered the unsightly mess of bulky household items and other waste dumped in the venue’s car park.
After checking security cameras, staff discovered the incident had been captured on CCTV, including the registration plate of the vehicle being used to fly-tip.
The footage showed a yellow van entering the car park and reversing into a parking space. Moments later the male driver and a passenger got out and pulled waste for the van which they dumped in the car park before hastily getting back in the vehicle and driving off.
Among the items found fly-tipped were mattresses, a fridge-freezer, glass panels, cardboard, and other household waste.
The CCTV footage was shared with Redbridge Council’s Neighbourhood Enforcement Team, who promptly began an investigation that led to Stokes.
It also emerged that Stokes had form for fly-tipping and had been prosecuted last year for two fly-tipping offences in Redbridge, which led to fines of over £2000.
Following the investigation into the bingo hall fly-tip, Stokes was issued with a legal notice requiring him to provide the identity of the driver or person in charge of the van at the time of the offence.
After neglecting to respond he was issued with a £1000 Fixed Penalty Notice for fly-tipping, which remained unpaid and eventually led to court action.
Stokes was charged with fly-tipping and failing to identify the driver in charge of the van.
After failing to appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court on his trial date of Tuesday 16 June 2026, the case against him was heard in his absence and he was found guilty of both charges.
He was issued with a fine, ordered to pay court and council costs, and clear up costs to Buzz Bingo – all totalling £3,905.
Fly-tipping has a big, negative impact on the whole community:
- It costs the council to clear fly-tips - money that could have been spent on vital services such as education, and housing.
- It causes an obstruction making it difficult for people to use the street, especially so for wheelchair users, the visually impaired, or parents with prams and young children.
- It leaves neighbourhoods looking messy and undesirable to live in.
- It attracts vermin such as mice and rats to the area.
Redbridge Cabinet Member for Enforcement, Community Safety and Cohesion, Cllr Sunny Brar said: “This prosecution should serve as a warning that fly-tipping will not be tolerated in Redbridge. We will use the full force of the law to track down and prosecute offenders, ensuring residents’ money is invested in our communities rather than wasted on cleaning up illegal dumping.”
If you spot a fly-tip in the borough you can easily report it online through the council’s Report It page: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/report-it/
All fly tips made known to the council are recorded and investigated, with enforcement action being taken if evidence is found. The council aims to clear all recorded fly-tips on council land and the highway within 24 hours of it being reported. You can also submit evidence of perpetrators or their vehicles on our Report It page which will aid enforcement investigations.
Alternatively, you can also report a variety of issues, from untidy front gardens and fly-tips, to missed bin collections, potholes and more at the touch of a button through our Love Clean Streets App. Find out more: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/report-it/love-clean-streets-app
