The developer received a 13-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to clean up 25,000 tonnes of waste, including asbestos, he dumped in Cornwall.
Paul Stephens, 58, the director of Park Lane Financial Management Limited, pleaded guilty to two charges related to illegally dumping around 25,000 tonnes of waste. Stephens also pleaded guilty to one charge of burning waste.
The waste, which included mattresses, electric waste and asbestos, was considered likely to cause pollution to the environment and harm human health.
Stephens was sentenced to 13 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to obey a curfew of 7pm-7am for four months and complete 180 hours of unpaid work.
He was also disqualified from operating as a company director for four years and ordered to clean up the waste from the site within 12 months.
Circular Economy and Waste Crime Minister Emma Hardy said the verdict sends a message to criminals that they have nowhere to hide.
“This is an outrageous case of illegal dumping, orchestrated by an individual who had no regard for the local community in Cornwall,” Hardy said.
Park Lane Financial Management Limited pleaded guilty to three environmental offences committed between November 2018 and July 2025.
Two charges related to operating of an illegal waste site and one to the burning of waste. Park Lane Financial management Limited was fined a total of £90,000.
Environment Agency officers visited the site in 2023 and observed a pile of waste 30 meters in length, stored on bare earth. This meant that polluting substances could drain directly into the earth and enter the water table.
As part of the investigation, contractors carried out a survey to excavate parts of the site and identified large quantities of buried construction and demolition waste, including plastics, wood and metal.
Area environment manager Tim De Winton of the Environment Agency said: “This is a case where waste was deliberately dumped, buried, and burned, with little regard for the impact on the environment.”
“Today’s verdict is a signal to illegal businesses – we will not let you get away with ignoring the rules which protect people, the environment, and legitimate business.”
