A 37-year-old man from Swansea has been sentenced to 22 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to depositing controlled waste on land without an environmental permit.
Christian Craig Astill, 37, illegally deposited household waste, construction and demolition materials, mattresses, electrical items, plastics, metal, tyres, and furniture on land known as Erw Las, Llwynhendy, near Llanelli.
Inspections carried out by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Carmarthenshire County Council officers found significant quantities of waste across the site, which had no environmental permit authorising waste activities.
Despite officers’ requests to clear the site and cease unauthorised activities, further waste was deposited.
NRW says its officers experienced repeated aggressive and abusive behaviour from Astill, which required police to attend regulatory visits.
As a result of concerns arising from his conduct and his compliance history, NRW says it took action to revoke Astill’s waste carrier licence.
Astill pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates’ Court, where he was also ordered to undertake up to 20 days of rehabilitation activity and complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Commenting on the sentencing, Edward Davies, Waste Regulation Team Leader at NRW, said: “Waste crime can blight communities, damage the environment and undermine legitimate operators who invest in complying with environmental regulations.”
Astill has previous convictions for waste offences, including convictions in 2021 and 2023 for depositing controlled waste without an environmental permit.
