Mark Greenhalgh has been ordered to pay £20,864 after pleading guilty to burning waste including asbestos next to an ancient woodland.
An investigation by the Environment Agency found Greenhalgh burned waste including asbestos next to a housing estate and an ancient woodland near Milton Keynes.
From 2018 to 2023, Environment Agency officers investigated the site in Woburn Sands which Mr Greenhalgh operated without an environmental permit.
The Environment Agency said that Greenhalgh ignored guidance from officers over repeated visits.
Greenhalgh also failed to comply with a notice requiring him to clear the waste from the land and the Environment Agency said officers found more waste on site with each visit.
The investigation found that Greenhalgh burned waste including asbestos, plastic, metals, wood, soft furnishings, vehicles, domestic appliances and commercial refrigeration units.
The Environment Agency said the local fire and rescue service was called to the site numerous times.
In August 2022, there was a significant fire on site. The Environment Agency said the fire service had to close a road and deploy multiple pumps, using an estimated 800,000 litres of water, to deal with the blaze.
Mark Greenhalgh, 64, pleaded guilty to two waste crime charges at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court on 31st January.
He was ordered to pay fines, victim surcharges and prosecution costs totalling £20,864.
Louis de Quincey, East Anglia Environmental Crime Officer, commented: “Waste criminals make their profits by breaking the law and not paying tax.
“Illegal waste sites, such as the one operated by Mr Greenhalgh, undermine legitimate businesses which carry out their activities with consideration for the environment.”
Guilty pleas secured from illegal waste site owners
Elsewhere, Jamil Hanif, 49, and Richard Allen, 39, pleaded guilty to operating a regulated waste facility without the necessary environmental permit between 1 November 2021 and 6 December 2023.
Allen also pleaded guilty to illegally depositing controlled waste on the same site between 1 August 2022 and 31 January 2023.
Hanif used a site leased to his company by Preston City Council for waste storage and sorting activities related to house clearances linked to his wife’s property rental business.
The Environment Agency said Allen, acting under Hanif’s instructions, was responsible for tipping waste at the site.
A surveyor appointed by Preston City Council reported significant waste at the site in November 2021, including household and commercial waste, construction debris, and car parts.
As a result, the council terminated FSL’s lease but Hanif continued to use the site under a temporary agreement with the council.
However, the Environment Agency said waste continued to be delivered and dumped on the site regularly.
Both defendants received 12-month Community Orders, requiring them to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.
- Richard Allen was ordered to pay a £300 contribution to prosecution costs and a £114 government surcharge.
- Jamil Hanif was ordered to pay a £1,000 contribution to prosecution costs and a £114 government surcharge.
