Teenager praised for challenging fly-tippers in East Ham

Balazs Horvath, pictured in the red t-shirt, was prosecuted by Thames Magistrates' Court for fly-tipping in Duke's Road, East Ham (Image: Newham Council)

Yaseen Bux, 17, caught builder Balazs Horvath and an accomplice discarding 20 black bags in Duke’s Road, East Ham, at 10.30pm on May 16 last year while walking home.

He single-handedly challenged the duo, while his eyewitness account helped to convict Horvath on December 22, along with council CCTV evidence.

Horvath’s van was also seen dumping 20 other bags in Heigham Road, East Ham, captured on Sport Direct’s CCTV.

Yaseen, who was young mayor in 2014-15, said: “I am a proud Newham resident and when I saw this man using my hometown as a rubbish tip, I was furious.”

The teenager said he felt compelled to act as the road is a school route for children.

“It is wrong,” he said. “It doesn’t make the area look nice and the main thing is safety.”

His actions have also resulted in an unexpected benefit – a new career in law enforcement.

Working as a Newham council administrative trainee at the time, Yaseen has since transferred to the Fly-Tip Task Force.

“I started to go out with them and experiencing what they do,” he said. “I realised I enjoyed it.”

The East Ham resident now hopes to qualify as an enforcement officer in the future.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old Horvath of Riley Road, Enfield, admitted the charges and was fined £1,200, forced to pay £1,000 costs plus a £120 victim surcharge at Thames Magistrates Court. The other man, a foreign national, returned to his home in Hungary.

Yaseen said others needn’t directly intervene like him but just report cases of fly-tipping.

Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, agreed: “While we wouldn’t encourage people to directly challenge fly-tippers we would encourage them to be observant and report incidents to the council.

“We hope Yassen’s action will act as an inspiration for all Newham residents.”