Two men have been fined for illegally dumping waste on farmland in Cardiff, with one receiving a suspended sentence.
Kyle Gordon Mason and John Brian Janes were sentenced at Newport Crown Court after pleading guilty to waste offences.
Mason, 46, was sentenced to 14 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £200 in costs to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and an undisclosed victim surcharge.
Janes, 52, was sentenced and ordered to pay a fine of £500, £750 in costs to NRW, and a victim surcharge of £200.
In 2021, NRW started an investigation following the dumping of mixed household, building and green waste in three fields near the St Mellons Business Park in Cardiff. Some of this land is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Multiple van loads were found in three fields owned by three different landowners, and evidence relating to both defendants and the businesses Mason was director of was found in the waste.
Surveillance footage was obtained by Liberton Investigations in June 2022 showed a transit flatbed vehicle with number plates removed drive into one of the fields carrying what appeared to be waste, and leave empty.
Mason and Janes were interviewed during the investigation but denied the waste offences. However, they later pleaded guilty in court.
Mason pleaded guilty to dumping five van loads of waste in these fields while Janes pleaded guilty to dumping a bag of household waste.
Commenting on the case, John Rock, Operations Manager for NRW, said: “Waste illegally deposited can have a devastating impact on farming businesses and rural communities.
“Kyle Mason and John Janes have shown a complete disregard to the environment by dumping their waste on farmland.
“The joint working with Gwent Police on this case has been hugely beneficial and we’d also like to thank the Cardiff residents who provided supporting evidence for this case.”