Published: Wednesday, 24th June 2026
Five men have been fined more than £4,800, following Medway Council-led investigations into waste offences.
The separate cases were all heard by Medway Magistrates Court in May and June, as the result of investigations launched last year into fly-tipping, scrap metal and unauthorised waste carrying.
- Charlie Hedges, 29, Hawthorne Close, Gravesend, was fined a total of £1,513 after a court hearing which he did not attend on Wednesday 27 May. The court heard he had failed to provide valid documentation relating to the disposal of waste from his business, after an investigation into waste left in Lonsdale Drive, Rainham last year.
- Steven Fiddimore, aged 47, director of ASBO Performance Limited of Canal Road, Higham, was fined a total of £1,161, following an investigation into fly-tipping in Dillywood Lane, Wainscott, in April 2025. Medway Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday June 19 how investigators traced the waste to ASBO Performance Ltd and Mr Fiddimore later failed to produce valid waste carrier licence and documentation. Mr Fiddimore did not attend court and the case was found proven.
- Christopher Amos, 50, of Rudge Close, Chatham was fined a total of £800, after a hearing on Medway 27 May, which he failed to attend. The court heard he had failed to pay a fixed penalty notice relating to rubbish at the rear of his property, following previous Community Protection Warning and Community Protection notices.
- Billy Roberts, 39, of Church Road, Sittingbourne, was ordered to pay at total of £742 having been found to be picking up and transporting scrap metal in Medway without a valid licence on 19 September 2025 and 19 December 2025.
- Bogdan Balan, 36, from Hornchurch, pleaded guilty to carrying waste and scrap metal without a licence, after his van was found carrying waste in Newark Yard, Strood, on 25 April 2025. Mr Balan confirmed to officers that he did not have required licences for transporting waste, and appeared before magistrates on Friday 22 May, where he was fined £679, having been given credit for early guilty pleas.
Cllr Alex Paterson, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Highways and Enforcement, said: “I welcome the results of all five of these cases, which stand as a reminder that we will not tolerate offences relating to waste in Medway. From fly-tipping to littering, the total cost of clearing our streets of waste was £4 million pounds for the financial year, and people who disobey waste laws are adding to that burden.
Waste licenses are there for a reason – because having properly authorised waste carriers means we can reduce the risk of fly-tipping and help ensure sure waste is taken to official disposal or recycling facilities.”