Salisbury fly-tipper sentenced after being caught on camera

A fly-tipper from Salisbury has received an 18‑month Community Order after being caught on camera dumping waste in Coombe Bissett.

At a hearing at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 28 April, Jack Gumbleton-Small, 21, of Bemerton Heath, was sentenced to an 18‑month Community Order, including 150 hours of unpaid work, reduced to 120 hours because of an early guilty plea, 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirements (RAR) days, and a combined £351.36 in fines, compensation, victim surcharge and costs.

A Community Order is a non-custodial sentence for crimes deemed too serious for a fine but not requiring prison. It requires offenders to complete rehabilitative activities such as unpaid work. RAR days are court‑ordered activities tailored to address the causes of offending, such as therapy, training or mentoring.

The case related to an incident in October 2025, when two full bags of dry mortar and other waste were illegally dumped in Coombe Bissett – an incident that was caught on the council’s CCTV cameras.

On the date of the offence, the Salisbury household recycling centre, which is just over a mile from Mr Gumbleton-Small’s property, was open between 9 am and 4 pm.

The council’s enforcement officers identified Mr Gumbleton-Small after reviewing CCTV footage that showed the waste being removed from a vehicle and dumped at the site. The footage was matched to the waste recovered, and vehicle checks confirmed the offender’s identity.

Despite being given multiple opportunities to engage with the investigation, including a formal request for information and an invitation to attend an interview under caution, Mr Gumbleton-Small failed to comply.

He later admitted to dumping the waste but failed to respond to the fixed penalty notice (FPN) within the required legal timeframe and did not pay the FPN issued by the council. The case was therefore taken to court, where the council secured the successful outcome.

Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said “We have a zero tolerance to fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and we have a network of both covert and overt CCTV cameras around the county to catch offenders in the act.

“In this case, the offence was caught on our cameras, giving us all the evidence we needed to take action.

“The rubbish was dumped within the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is classified as a priority deciduous woodland habitat, highlighting the serious environmental impact of the offence.

“There is no excuse for fly-tipping waste in the countryside when there are simple, legal and accessible ways to dispose of it properly.

“Our Environmental Enforcement officers will continue to investigate all reports of fly-tipping and hold offenders to account.”

For more information on how Wiltshire Council tackles fly-tipping, or to report an incident, visit: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.