It is staggering that three men who dumped a large collection of trade refuse in a car park in Wyke were ordered to pay a total of just £750 between them for the offence.

That figure includes a fine of £100 each and £135 costs.

It probably cost them less in fines than it would have done to hire a skip and dispose of the rubbish in the correct way.

Too many people believe that dumping rubbish and refuse where they feel like, whether it is trade related or domestic, is acceptable.

Bradford Council must be applauded for tracking down the three men and taking legal action against them.

But, in spite of the comments made by Coun Ghazanfer Khaliq, Bradford Council’s executive member for environment and sustainability, that the Council is happy the courts treat illegal dumping seriously, those who worked on the prosecution must have been hoping for a tougher and stronger message from the court.

To rub salt into the wounds of this particular case, the rubbish illegally dumped was not even from Bradford originally – it was brought in from Leeds!

Fly tipping is a blight on the areas where perpetrators choose to make their dumps, and it is a drain on Council resources, already stretched thin, which have to be used to clear the dumped rubbish, and then to track the culprits, and finally to go through the legal process.

It is also a kick in the teeth to the legitimate waste disposal businesses who are working within the law.

They – and we, as the council tax payers who ultimately foot the bill for cleaning up mess left behind – can rightly expect the courts to act appropriately on our behalf.

A much stronger message should be sent out to the next offenders.