Court fines on the menu for Redbridge restaurant that fly-tipped waste near local homes

A Gants Hill restaurant reported for dumping its waste near local homes has been successfully prosecuted by Redbridge Council for fly-tipping and breaking a legal order regarding waste storage.

Wah Bey on Cranbrook Road is well-known to Redbridge Council’s Enforcement Team following on-going issues over the restaurant failing to store its commercial waste properly.

The restaurant had been placed under regular inspections after being issued with a legal notice under S.47 Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), which makes specific requirements as to how commercial waste should be stored.

Since receiving the legal notice last year, the restaurant has seen regular enforcement action for breaching the notice and has been prosecuted by the Council twice in less than 8 months with fly-tipping charges listed in the latest court conviction.

Redbridge Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety, Cllr Khayer Chowdhury, said: “We all have a responsibility to ensure our streets and neighbourhoods are clean, and that includes businesses. Fly-tipping commercial waste on our streets and into the bins of innocent residents is unacceptable. We all need to work together to make sure Redbridge is clean and pleasant, and this prosecution is a testament to our commitment to holding rule breakers to account for their behaviour.”

The latest prosecution against Wah Bey follows compliance checks by Redbridge Enforcement Officers where the restaurant’s waste was found dumped around their bins - in breach of the legal notice – with the rubbish liable to attract vermin, such as rats.

Enforcement Officers also received complaints that Wah Bey was dumping restaurant rubbish in residential bins and during investigations, identified multiple bags of kitchen and food waste from the restaurant fly-tipped on the street and in and around residents’ bins on Frinton Mews, behind the restaurant.

The council’s cleansing crew also attended Frinton Mews twice to clear up dumped bags of waste, having been identified as belonging to the restaurant - costing the council money that could have instead been put towards other vital services in the borough.

The Enforcement Team issued Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) to the restaurant for fly-tipping and breaching the EPA, which remained unpaid by the restaurant’s Company Director Sarfraz Ghaffar despite reminder letters being sent - eventually leading to court action against him.

Ghaffar, Company Director of T.S. Sheesh Ltd- trading as Wah Bey, appeared at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Tuesday 1 August, where he pleaded guilty to six charges of fly-tipping and two breaches of the Environmental Protection Act Notice, landing him with fines, court and council costs, as well as compensation to the Council for clear up costs - all totalling £6.824.

The court heard that Ghaffar, aged 43, had also been convicted in December 2022 for four breaches of the EPA notice, for which he’d been fined and ordered to pay court and council costs totalling £2,142.

The restaurant was also subject to noise complaints that resulted in the Council issuing a Noise Abatement Notice last year. Following further recent complaints related to noise coming from the restaurant, the Council is investigating the matter further.

A Frinton Mews resident said: “I’m glad the council has taken court action. There have been various issues such as rubbish, fly tipping and noise disturbance around Frinton Mews. Unfortunately, certain restaurants do not have consideration for residents, and this has a detrimental effect for people living in the area, but I hope the actions being taken by the council will teach them to think twice about how they act.”

Businesses are required by law to dispose of their commercial waste using a registered trade waste carrier. For more information go to: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling/commercial-and-trade-waste/

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