A group of West Cornwall hauliers and director of a skip hire company have been ordered to pay nearly £100,000 in fines and costs for illegally tipping thousands of tonnes of waste at a farm near Helston, the Environment Agency said.
According to the agency, about 9,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste were dumped at Trenoweth Farm in Gweek. The operators of five local haulage companies appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentencing.
Offenders were fined, told to pay back costs and ordered to pay back profits they had made from their criminal activities under the Proceeds of Crime (POC) Act.
The Environment Agency said Michael Leah received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to pay £50,000 under the Proceeds of Crime (POC) Act, plus £4,000 in costs.
It said at the time of the offences Leah was director of a haulage and skip hire company and operated a licensed waste transfer station at Ludgvan near Penzance.
The Environment Agency said that an investigation revealed that during 2007 and 2008 Leah had illegally dumped waste, including asbestos, at three separate sites including two farms and a residential property at St Ives.
The court heard Michael Leah's company, Leah Ltd, has since gone into liquidation.
The agency said Leah claimed he had only deposited three lorry loads of subsoil at Trenoweth Farm, but was unable to verify this by supplying the relevant waste transfer notes. He was also unable to provide documentation for all asbestos entering and leaving his waste transfer station prior to March 2008, it added.
His site manager, Mark Outram from Penzance was ordered to carry out 250 hours unpaid community work and pay £3,000 costs.
Five companies were also involved in offences at Trenoweth Farm and had earlier pleaded guilty to illegally depositing and disposing of controlled waste.
Broad and Sons from Manaccan in Truro was convicted of dumping 2,176 tonnes and fined £2,500 for four offences, plus £4,080 payable as POC. Maen Karne Aggregates from Truro was convicted of dumping 1,875 tonnes of waste and fined £2,250 for four offences, plus £3,750 POC.
St Pirrans Trucks from Camborne was fined £2,000 for three offences, plus £4,860 POC for dumping 1,620 tonnes of waste. Harts Haulage Ltd from Redruth was fined £1,800 for dumping 1,500 tonnes of waste in four offences, plus £3,000 POC. And Michael Mudge Ltd, from Prazein Camborne, was convicted of dumping 1,280 tonnes of waste. It was fined £1,600 for four offences plus £3,200 POC. Each company was also ordered to pay £2,000 costs.
Redwynn Sterry, from the Environment Agency, said: "This case demonstrates how important it is for those who handle waste to make full and adequate checks in respect of where waste is deposited. Simply taking the word of a so called ‘site agent’ or landowner is unacceptable.
"The range of sentences shows the courts take the illegal disposal of waste very seriously. The agency will use the Proceeds of Crime Act to ensure any profits obtained through waste crime are confiscated rendering illegal activities pointless."
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