Court bill for man who illegally stored waste in a Telford field
A man who illegally stored waste in a Telford field has been ordered to pay more than £2,500 and do 100 hours of unpaid work.
Brian Woods, aged 70, of Limekiln Bank, St Georges, Telford, stored waste on a site at Granville Road, Donnington Wood.
He pleaded guilty to charges of running a waste operation without a permit and failing to comply with a court order which compelled him to clear the rubbish away.
Woods was sentenced at Telford Magistrates Court.
The case started in August 2019 when Woods admitted to storing waste on the site between December 2016 and April 2017 without an environmental permit.
Proceedings were adjourned on condition that Woods removed all the waste from the site by July 26, 2020. He was also ordered not to bring any additional waste onto the site.
Between July 2020 and June 2024, Environment Agency officers made several checks on the site to find that the waste had not been removed.
Woods on a number of occasions did not attend scheduled meetings. He cited ill health or medical appointments as the reason.
It was said in mitigation that following the collapse of his business, Woods was not in a financial position to clear the site of waste.
The court was told that around 75 per cent of the waste had now been removed.
Woods was fined £1,000 and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order. He was also ordered to pay £1,470 in prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “The Environment Agency will pursue any person or company that fails to uphold the law to protect nature and will continue to press for the strongest possible penalties.
“Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment and harm human health.
“ If anyone has environmental concerns they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers anonymously and in confidence on 0800 555 111.”
