Five people have been ordered to pay £6822 after they dumped the remains of a cannabis farm in Neath Valley.
Four men and a woman were prosecuted by Neath Port Talbot Council for their part in the fly-tipping. They were ordered to pay a combined total of £6822 by Swansea Magistrates Court.
Cabinet Member for Streetscene, Cllr Scott Jones, commented: “We have beautiful areas of forestry and countryside throughout the Neath Port Talbot County and people should be able to enjoy it responsibly without encountering dangerous deposits like this.”
“We hope this sends a strong message that regardless of how minor you think your role is in the illegal disposal of waste, you will still be held responsible.”
The waste was disposed of illegally on land in the Rheola forestry in the Neath Valley, which is owned by Natural Resources Wales.
NRW discovered correspondence within the waste that had been dumped on their land that pointed back to the defendents.
The combination of the document left at the scene, CCTV, and witness accounts resulted in the successful prosecution of five people in total.
During an earlier hearing at Swansea Magistrates Court in February 2026, four of the defendants pleaded guilty to the following offences.
Ian Jenkins pleaded guilty to an offence in relation to duty of care by failing to ensure the waste is disposed of lawfully.
Stephen Powell pleaded guilty to being the person in control of the vehicle used to unlawfully deposit controlled waste.
Keiron Powell and Darcy Thomas pleaded guilty to offences of unlawfully depositing controlled waste and transporting waste without a waste carriers’ licence.
Anthony Jones and another male pleaded not guilty and their cases were listed for trial. Jones was found was guilty of an offence of failing to ensure that the waste was disposed of lawfully, while the other man was acquitted.
The court also ordered the tipper vehicle to be forfeited to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. The Council is now assessing the vehicle’s condition and it may end up being crushed.
James Roseblade, Land Management Senior Officer for NRW, said: “We welcome the court’s decision in this case and hope it sends a clear message that waste-related crime will not be tolerated and will be punished and NRW and its partners will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those who break the law.”