Some of the baled combustible waste
In 2014 and 2015, Winters Haulage Limited used a site next to Royston Sewage Treatment Works (STW) on the Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire border to illegally store thousands of tonnes of baled combustible waste known as refuse derived fuel (RDF), posing a significant fire risk.
Some waste was also buried at the site and stockpiled at another nearby location.
At Cambridge Magistrates' Court this week, District Judge Ken Sheraton said company director Liam Patrick Winters was "certainly reckless", ordering him to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12 month community order.
He was also ordered to pay £8,850 in costs. Judge Sheraton said Winters Haulage's actions were deliberate and the company had no systems in place to prevent the offences.
Of the £510,000 fine, £450,000 was the money saved or avoided by committing the offences. The company was also ordered to pay costs of £30,000.
After the hearing, Environment Agency team leader Phil Henderson said:
Illegally stockpiling thousands of tonnes of waste in this manner has potentially devastating impacts on the environment, communities and transport infrastructure.
This case highlights the growing problems being faced with waste across the country and the result in court today should reassure the public that the Environment Agency is committed to bringing waste criminals to justice.
Members of the public and those inside the waste industry who have knowledge of, or suspect illegal waste activity, are urged to come forward and report directly on
