Head Office Press Office
- 28-Mar-2007 - Environment Agency warns
fly-tippers - the tide has turned
The Environment Agency today (Wednesday)
warned waste cheats to clean up their act
or risk ending up in jail.
The warning comes as the Environment Agency
continues its crackdown on illegal waste
dumpers. This follows a series of successful
prosecutions over the past two weeks resulting
in a total of three years imprisonment,
100 hours community service and over £92,000
in fines.
"Let us be clear - if waste cheats
think they can get away with illegally dumping
waste, damaging our environment, they can
think again," says Liz Parkes, Head
of Waste at the Environment Agency.
"The recent prosecutions and punishments
given by the courts send out a clear, sharp
message that waste cheats can and do get
sent to prison. The Environment Agency also
has the power to ask the courts to revoke
driving licences, seize vehicles used in
committing offences and to impose Anti-Social
Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) on offenders."
A persistent fly-tipper from Plymouth was
sent to prison for 16 months last week -
the longest sentence for an Environment
Agency case for this type of offence in
nearly four years.
After getting customers to pay up to £200
by saying he was a legitimate waste operator,
John Tapscott of Honicknowle, Plymouth illegally
dumped truckloads of rubbish at beauty spots
throughout Devon. This case was the result
of work by the Environment Agency and Plymouth
City Council who, since 2005, had been investigating
reports of fly-tipping in lanes on the outskirts
of Plymouth.
Liz Parkes continues: "We are committed
to chasing down these rogue operators who
blight our communities and put our environment
and wildlife in danger. This case shows
we are working with local authorities, the
police and other enforcement bodies to share
intelligence to catch those involved. Our
policy is to prosecute all those involved
in these anti-social activities."
After being caught dumping hazardous asbestos
waste, two Bradford men were sentenced to
a total of 20 months in prison. William
John Peter Reidy, 59 of Cheltenham Road,
Bradford, was sentenced to a total of 16
months in prison after illegal dumping waste
including asbestos.
His partner in crime, Leonard Archibald
Imeson, 61, of Cutler Heights Lane, Bradford,
was sentenced to four months in prison.
Their accomplice, Neil Peter Medley, 45,
from Illkley, was given 100 hours community
service after he pleaded guilty to two offences
of falsifying documents.
The court heard how they were paid to take
building waste away from companies across
Yorkshire but boosted their profits by deliberately
disregarding environmental regulations by
dumping the waste illegally. Around 200
lorry loads of demolition waste had been
dumped illegally, and Environment Agency
officers traced vehicles seen dumping the
waste back to their company, Space Making
Development (SMD).
A Thatcham waste management company and
its managing director were ordered to pay
more than £62,000 after pleading guilty
to keeping and transferring potentially
harmful skip waste without a licence.
The company, despite several warnings from
the Environment Agency, was operating without
a waste management licence for the site.
Their activities increased the risk of pollution
to the Kennet and Avon Canals, the Nightingale
Stream - a high quality SSSI (Site of Special
Scientific Interest) protected chalkstream.
The company was transferring waste from
small skips into larger skips, which potentially
puts the environment at risk. On one occasion,
Environment Agency officers found hazardous
wastes in a household skip, which had a
large hole in the bottom and stood on ground
that was not sealed. It contained items
such as gas bottles and cans, paint tins,
an engine oil container, tins of wood preservative
and sealer.
A £30,000 fine was handed down to
Russell Surfacing Limited for illegally
keeping, treating and disposing of controlled
waste at Detling Aerodrome Industrial Estate
near Maidstone. The case came to court after
the company ignored several Environment
Agency warnings to stop storing and burning
construction waste at that site as it did
not have the necessary licences in place.
"Waste crimes are irresponsible, anti-social,
and unnecessary given the amount of help
and guidance available to those that produce,
carry and manage waste. We will take the
strongest possible action against offenders,"
adds Liz Parkes.
To check whether the person collecting
your waste is registered with the Environment
Agency, visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk
or by call 08708 506 506. To report environmental
incidents like fly-tipping and illegal waste
cheats call free on 0800 80 70 60.
