Two men have received fines and costs totalling £6,400 after illegally dumping excavation waste at a site in Northamptonshire.
The Environment Agency launched an investigation after a farmer found that a field in Northamptonshire had been covered in numerous mounds of excavation waste, making it unsuitable for grazing animals.
Richard Allen, 59, was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £400 to the victims of the offence at Leicester Magistrates’ Court. He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,000 and a victim surcharge of £800.
At a previous hearing, David Thomas George Warden, 50, was fined £350 and ordered to pay costs of £500 and a victim surcharge of £350.
Both men pleaded guilty to knowingly causing and depositing controlled waste between 24 and 30 April 2024, on land off Ryehills Lane, West Haddon, without the necessary environmental permit.
They also admitted to charges relating to failing to comply with waste transfer regulations.
Due to the wet weather, muddy tyre tracks leading away from the site where the waste was discovered led officers to a nearby house owned by Richard Allen’s daughter and son-in-law, where excavation work had taken place.
They informed the Environment Agency officers that Allen had gained planning permission to build a house in the grounds of their property.
Allen informed the investigation that he had employed Warden’s company, Sky CFG, to carry out the building works.
He also alleged he had gained permission, some three years previously, to dump the topsoil on the Ryehills’ site. However, Allen was unable to name the person from whom he had obtained permission.
The owners of the land confirmed there was no agreement in place for anyone to deposit waste onto their field. There was no environmental permit in place at the site to allow waste to be deposited there.
The Environment Agency says both Allen and Warden said they had little knowledge of the environmental regulations despite having experience of waste disposal as part of their day-to-day businesses.
The court was told that some remediation work had taken place at the site, albeit most of the soil had been spread across the field.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “This case shows that operators in the waste sector should realise we will not tolerate illegal waste activities.
“We will take enforcement action to protect the environment, people and legitimate businesses.”
