Kirkby man’s £10,000 fine for waste breach

Jason Marshall, of Hodgkinson Roadpleaded guilty at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court to six charges relating to the mismanagement of a site onWigwam Lane, Hucknall, and the unlawful storage of waste in the back yard of his home address.

The 45-year-old was fined £10,000, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £8,042.81, along with a £120 victim surcharge.

On 5th February 2013, Environment Agency staff, who brought the prosecution, and a member of the planning team from Nottinghamshire County Council conducted a site inspection at Wigwam Lane.

The site contained mixed waste estimated to be between 500 and 1000 tonnes, far exceeding the maximum 50 tonne storage limit allowed by Marshall’s permit.

The court heard how waste was also stored all over the site including in uncovered areas, contrary to the permit conditions.

The officers spoke to Marshall, who was servied with a notice to improve things on 28th February.

The court heard that in May a visit to the site noted some reduction in waste quantities but there was at least 200 tonnes still remaining and the Environment Agency had concerns that, given the lack of engineered drainage on the site, there was a danger of run-off arising.

The site still clearly exceeded the maximum 50 tonne limit allowed by the permit.

Further visits to the site found very little improvement, with waste continuing to exceed the allowable limits. There were also rats observed on the site.

Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer in charge of the investigation said: “Illegal waste sites have the potential to cause serious pollution incidents or harm human health. This prosecution demonstrates that we take waste crime very seriously and will not hesitate to prosecute if necessary, to protect the environment and local communities.”

In mitigation, the court was told that the company made full admissions when attending an interview under caution and submitted early guilty pleas.