A Scarborough
builder who dumped waste in woodland near
the town has been ordered to carry out 180
hours’ work for the benefit of the community.
Graham Andrew Watling
had denied fly-tipping but was found guilty
of two offences at York Crown Court following
a two-day trial earlier this month. He was
acquitted of two charges in relation to
a third fly-tipping offence.
Today (26 March) at
York Crown Court, Watling, 48, of Gildercliffe,
Scarborough, was sentenced to a 180-hour
community punishment order and was ordered
to pay a £1,000 contribution towards
prosecution costs.
On two separate dates
in August 2008, Forestry Commission staff
reported fly-tipping at two different locations
- at Rapton View car park, and near Wykeham
Nurseries - in Wykeham Forest.
When environment officers
attended they noticed distinctive waste
they had seen earlier on the back of Watling’s
truck, such as a fridge without a door and
a toilet cistern with purple paint on the
side. They also found correspondence and
documents belonging to neighbours of Watling.
In interviews, Watling
initially agreed the vehicle was his, as
was some of the waste, and said neighbours
had placed waste on the back with his consent.
He went on to claim the waste was still
on the back of the vehicle when he sold
it, in June or August 2008, and the purchaser
must have been responsible for the fly-tipping.
Diana Maudslay, prosecuting
counsel for the Environment Agency, told
the court that the offences were deliberate
and financially motivated and those facts,
and the impact on legitimate operators,
were aggravating features of the case.
Speaking after the case,
environment officer John Sherwood said:
"The Forestry Commission alerted us
to fly-tipping at Wykeham Forest and documentation
found among the waste enabled us to trace
it back to Graham Watling.
"We are pleased
the jury at York Crown Court acknowledged
the strength of the evidence we collected
during a three-month investigation and convicted
Mr Watling of two instances of fly-tipping
in the forest.
"We would remind
householders and businesses that they have
a duty to ensure anyone disposing of their
waste is a legitimate business. They should
check any waste carrier has a licence from
the Environment Agency or may themselves
be committing an offence which can be punished
by a fine of up to £5,000."
Speaking after the sentencing,
Alan Eves, Forest Management Director with
the Forestry Commission, said: "Fly-tipping
is not only one of the most anti-social
of all activities, but it also poses a serous
threat to forest wildlife and public safety.
Every year in the North York Moors we spend
over £10,000 clearing up the mess,
with Wykeham one of the hotspots. Today's
sentencing shows that fly-tippers will eventually
be caught and made to face the music for
their reckless deeds."
+ More
Environment Agency ready
to play its role in delivering low carbon
coal power for the UK
Carbon capture technology
offers real hope of a new era of ‘clean
coal’
Responding to the Government’s announcement
today on carbon capture and storage (CCS),
Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environment
Agency, said:
“The Environment Agency
believes that carbon capture for coal power
is a key element of a clean energy policy
– which includes improved energy efficiency,
safe nuclear power and a big increase in
renewable energy generation.
“Today’s announcement
is a further step along the road to implementing
carbon capture and storage in the UK. We
believe that the creation of a new office
within the Department for Energy and Climate
Change shows the Government’s commitment
to the development and delivery of CCS.
“Coal power is currently one of the highest
carbon emitting forms of electricity generation
– producing over 100 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide emissions annually in the UK. But
CCS, which involves capturing the carbon
dioxide emitted from the burning of fossil
fuels and storing it deep underground, has
the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from
coal by up to 90 per cent.
“The Environment Agency
has previously warned that emissions from
coal power stations must be dramatically
reduced if the UK is to meet its 2050 target
of at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions.
“We need to reduce dramatically
the emissions from coal power stations and
carbon capture technology offers real hope
of a new era of ‘clean coal’. It is an essential
element of any sensible energy policy for
the next 20 years.
“CCS has the potential
to change the face of power generation and
enable the UK to sell this technology to
the rest of the world.
“The UK government’s
‘Framework for Clean Coal’ proposed an increased
role for the Environment Agency in regulating
CCS and reporting to the Government on the
progress of its implementation. We look
forward to clarifying our role and helping
to make CCS happen.”
Ends
Media enquiries: 020
7863 8710. Outside normal office hours,
please contact the National Duty Press Officer
on 07798 882 092.
Environment Agency leads the way with new
green vans
Vehicles fitted with technology to reduce
fuel use and carbon emissions
The Environment Agency
is the first public sector organisation
to add pioneering new low-carbon vans to
its fleet under a government scheme, it
announced today.
The 12 vans have been
fitted with an award-winning Hybrid Drive
system. The system works by capturing energy
that would normally be lost as heat during
braking, and reuses it to assist the engine.
This means that the engine does not have
to work as hard, and therefore uses less
fuel and CO2.
In trials the technology
fitted in the new vans showed a reduction
in carbon emissions of over 14 per cent
compared to non-hybrid systems. It also
showed significant reductions in harmful
mono-nitrogen oxides and particulates.
The vans were made available
to the Environment Agency through the Department
for Transport’s Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement
Programme. Announced in May 2007, the programme
procures low-carbon vehicles for public
sector organisations.
The Environment Agency’s
Head of Fleet Operations Dale Eynon said:
“The Environment Agency
is committed to reducing its carbon emissions
wherever possible. This means making the
most of green technology and choosing environmentally-friendly
options for all aspects of the work we do,
including transport. These vans will now
be distributed across England and Wales
and be used by Environment Agency staff
working on the ground.”
Transport Secretary
Andrew Adonis said:
"Cutting emissions
from vans is an important part of our carbon
reduction strategy for transport. That is
why we are supporting this programme - to
test out newly-designed low-emission vehicles
in real-world conditions and give people
confidence about what they can deliver.
It's great that the Environment Agency has
now got these vehicles out on the road."
