Two men have been given suspended prison sentences for operating a large-scale illegal waste site in Lincolnshire.
An Environment Agency investigation discovered waste on Hook Cliff Farm, Lincolnshire, including hazardous motor vehicle waste, and mixed household and commercial waste.
The site is also estimated to have imported around 27,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste.
Anthony Critchley, 61, admitted running a waste site without the necessary environmental permits. He also admitted disposing of waste in a manner likely to cause environmental pollution through burning the waste.
Critchley was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to clear the site of all unpermitted waste, including bonfire residue, by 14 August 2026.
The court heard that by operating without a permit, Critchley had avoided permitting fees, taxes and infrastructure costs to the tune of over £500,000.
Kaspars Runkauskis, 31, admitted operating an unpermitted vehicle breaking business on part of the farm with Critchley’s knowledge. He was given a 10-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.
A third man, Darren Priestley, 59, admitted failing to take reasonable measures to prevent unpermitted deposits of waste. He received a conditional discharge for two years and a criminal behaviour order.
As part of the investigation by the Environment Agency, drone flights captured footage of skip lorries and a grabber machine dropping waste onto a bonfire on the Hook Cliff Farm site.
On 13 April 2022, a court warrant was executed, with the support of Lincolnshire Police officers, and the regulator conducted an unannounced inspection of the farm.
The Environment Agency said that when officers asked the landowner for paperwork, he replied: ‘I take in lorry loads of s**t, hardcore on the cheap and that’s how I survive’.
During that visit, several vehicles were intercepted arriving on site, loaded with waste. A burn site was also discovered and there was evidence of mixed waste being burned.
Officers also saw that some of the farm’s cattle were living amongst the waste and that a feeder machine was being used.
The Environment Agency also accepted Enforcement Undertakings (EUs) from three companies which made regular deposits of unpermitted construction and demolition waste to the site without carrying out due diligence checks. This resulted in £98,000 going to environmental charities.
