A waste operator in Cheltenham must pay £47,000 in costs after dumping illegal red diesel across its site.
In 2022, HMRC inspectors conducted an unannounced visit of J. Gilder Earthmoving and Aggregates Ltd to check whether the company was still using red diesel – the use of which has been restricted since 2022.
However, despite the site being open for business, the inspectors were denied access to the site for over two hours.
When they were allowed inside inspectors observed that someone on site had emptied red diesel from a scalping screener – a separator for bulky construction waste – and dumped it onto the ground.
Despite the efforts to conceal the activity, inspectors discovered two large puddles of red diesel on the ground.
They reported the offence to the Environment Agency, which visited the site and took soil samples to determine the extent of any ground contamination.
HMRC issued a fine for the unlawful use of red diesel, and the Environment Agency subsequently charged J. Gilder Earthmoving & Aggregates Ltd with environmental offences relating to the discharge of fuel onto the ground.
After the incident, the Environment Agency ensured around 3.5 tonnes of the most contaminated soil was removed by the company.
The regulator said this reduced the ongoing effect of the spillage and the risk of seepage into the groundwater.
At Gloucester Crown Court, J. Gilder Earthmoving & Aggregates Ltd was fined £12,000, as well as being ordered to pay costs of £33,610.06 and a £2,000 statutory surcharge.
In his sentencing remarks, judge Rupert Lowe called the offending a ‘deliberate and blatant’ attempt to get round the law.
Environment Agency launch CCTV appeal after Lancashire waste dumping
The Environment Agency is appealing for help to identify a man suspected of dumping around 75 tonnes of mixed commercial and household waste in Lancashire.
A total of five deposits were made over one day using a wagon displaying cloned vehicle registration plates, a tactic that can be used to avoid detection.
The landowner now faces thousands of pounds in clean-up costs to ensure the waste is removed and disposed of at a legitimate waste facility.
Commenting on the appeal, which featured on Crimewatch Live on 22 October, John Neville, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency, urged anyone who recognises the man in the footage to come forward.
“This was a deliberate dumping of waste, and we believe it was planned using cloned number plates to help evade detection,” Neville said.
“The landowner is facing clean-up costs and the mill sits in a residential area next to a canal, with local people having to live with the sight of this waste every day.”
