CCTV and discarded letter help council officers trace illegal waste dumping to 28-year-old defendant
A MAN from Port Talbot has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 after being caught fly-tipping on land near the town’s railway station.
On July 11, 2025, a Waste Enforcement Officer from Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council was called to land near Cramic Way following reports that a large quantity of waste had been dumped.
The rubbish included construction materials, a vehicle bumper and household waste.
Among the discarded items was a letter which led investigators to an address in Briton Ferry. A male tenant at the property admitted arranging for waste to be removed by a man named Steven Gilheaney and provided officers with a detailed account of the transaction.
CCTV enquiries revealed that a vehicle was captured travelling up Cramic Way carrying waste at 11:55pm on July 10, 2025, before returning without the waste just seven minutes later at 12:02am.
On September 25, 2025, Mr Gilheaney was seen driving the same vehicle while collecting scrap metal. Waste Enforcement Officers subsequently seized the vehicle.
The 28-year-old, of Radnor House in Sandfields, was interviewed by officers on October 2, 2025, but gave no comment responses.
Steven Gilheaney later pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on February 19, 2026, to an offence under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which makes the illegal deposit of controlled waste a criminal offence.
He was ordered to pay £787.92 in compensation for waste clearance costs, fined £200 and required to pay an £80 victim surcharge — bringing the total to £1,067.92.
Councillor Scott Jones, Cabinet Member for Streetscene, said the council would continue to take firm action against environmental crime.
“Neath Port Talbot Council has a strong record of environmental enforcement, especially when it comes to prosecuting fly-tippers,” he said.
“We have a variety of measures in place to catch culprits. Our Waste Enforcement Officers will continue working hard to hold anyone guilty of fly-tipping to account.”
