Multiple tonnes of waste have now been removed from a site in Yorkshire after a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency.
Earlier this year, Andrew Leadbeater, 57, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to waste offences at the site in Wyke Lane, Wyke, Bradford, and was ordered to clear the site by 17 June.
He was given two months to clear the waste, which included fire-damaged trailers and mixed household waste, alongside a 12-month conditional discharge and £6,067.50 in costs.
Complaints about fly-tipping and burning at the site were first made to the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in 2023.
During a visit by the council in June 2023, Leadbeater said some of the waste had been fly-tipped on his land, and admitted he was responsible for the burning. He told council officials that he would stop burning and arrange for the site to be cleared.
12 months later, Leadbeater contacted the council to report that someone had fly-tipped additional waste on his land, and the council contacted the Environment Agency.
Officers from the Environment Agency spoke with Leadbeater, who told them he was aware of the waste but didn’t know who had deposited it. He explained that he had tried to secure the site and agreed to remove the waste as a matter of urgency.
However, follow-up visits in November 2024 and March 2025 revealed that no waste had been removed, and the Environment Agency issued a notice requiring Leadbeater to clear all waste from the land by 22 September, 2025.
After missing the deadline, Leadbeater also failed to attend an interview with the Environment Agency in October 2025.
Leadbetter was charged with operating a waste site without an environmental permit and failing to comply with a notice from the Environment Agency to clear the waste following an investigation.
Commenting on the case, Ben Hocking, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said: “Illegal waste operations like this have a negative impact on residents’ lives, and I’m pleased this site has now been fully cleared.”
“This is an example of how the Environment Agency is cracking down on waste crime across the sector and will always take action against those who break the law.”