Kebab shop operator gets a grilling in court after fly-tipping in Sevenoaks

The operator of a Sevenoaks kebab shop was fined £607 at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ court, for fly-tipping food and other waste associated with a fast food business.

Thirty-nine year old Hazim Saglam of 10 Crown Hill, Borough Green pleaded guilty to illegally dumping several large sacks full of old food and takeaway waste in Mill Pond Close, Sevenoaks.

The fly tipping came to light when an eagle-eyed resident spotted the waste being dumped in the residential side street around midnight on 8 May 2019. The community-minded local made a note of the car registration and took photos of the dumped waste on his mobile phone.

After the resident reported the incident, the Council’s fly-tipping investigation team traced the vehicle to Saglam.

Saglam was interviewed by the team on 13 June 2019. During the interview, he confirmed he was the owner of the vehicle. At the time of the offence, Saglam was the operator of the Seal Kebab shop but he was looking after the 7Oaks Grill kebab shop in St John’s Hill on behalf of his brother when the rubbish was dumped. The 7Oaks Grill did not have a commercial waste agreement in place at the time of the offence.

At court on on 17 January 2020, Saglam was handed a £325 fine and ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £250 and a Victim Surcharge of £32.

Cllr Margot McArthur, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, said: “Dumping waste, including food, is unpleasant and potentially dangerous. Business owners have a legal duty to dispose of their waste responsibly.

“We want to thank the local resident who witnessed this incident and provided us with crucial evidence so we could take action against Mr Saglam.

“We have promised our residents we will do our best to protect our environment and, where we have evidence, we will bring fly-tippers to justice.”