The operator of three illegal waste sites near Harleston, Norfolk, has been fined £20,000 and handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence.
Between October 2023 and July 2024, David Pipe imported, stored, and burned large quantities of waste on land known as Withersdale Hall.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Bone told Pipe: “The position in this case is not regulatory misunderstanding or uncertainty.”
“The offending arose from a persistent failure over a protracted period. You knew what the notices required and chose not to do so.”
Pipe was ordered to remove all waste from the three sites within 12 months and was also handed a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).
The CBO prevents Pipe from being involved or concerned in any business involving the unlawful collection, transport, deposit, storage, or processing of waste from land without a permit or licence.
Commenting on the sentencing, Lesley Robertson, Enforcement Team Leader at the Environment Agency, said: “David Pipe undercut legitimate rivals by avoiding permitting and subsistence fees as well as permit conditions designed to protect the environment.”
“Pipe sought to legitimise his waste operation by registering exemptions meant for low-risk waste activities.”
Environment Agency Officers first visited the site in October 2023 and reported seeing skips of burning wood, waste dumped in an historic moat, and large piles of waste stored in buildings and other skips.
The Environment Agency sent a cease-and-desist letter instructing Pipe to stop operations and remove all waste from the site, which had no environmental permits in place.
Officers revisited in November 2023 and found that more waste had been dumped. Over three years, Pipe ignored an invitation to attend a voluntary interview under caution and made ‘little effort’ to clear the site.
Councillor Tristan Gale, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Devolution & The Fire Service, welcomed the sentencing, saying it sends a clear message that breaches of planning and environmental regulations will not be tolerated.
