Company Director fined by the Environment Agency which has prosecuted a director of a waste company in Shropshire who abandoned a site full of waste without informing the regulating authority.
Vast amounts of waste appear to have been left around outside of buildings, not where they should have been which is in containers as the waste permit conditions required. For each type of waste activity there are rules and a risk assessment is required.
What Happened?
The Environment Agency brought a prosecution after waste site was abandoned and Jonathan Wells pleaded guilty. Jonathan Wells, of Condover, Shrewsbury, pleaded guilty at Worcester Magistrates’ Court on 19 November 2021 to breaching conditions of an environmental waste permit including abandoning the site operated by LMS Skips Limited (“the Company”) in Bromfield, Ludlow.
The Court levied a fine on the Defendant, sole director of the Company, a total of £1,272 (£636 for each charge), ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £127 and a contribution to prosecution costs of £500. On the face of it, it does not appear a particularly heavy fine.
It seems that the matter became known to the Environment Agency when they visited the site during October 2016 and November 2017, and discovered that far too much waste was being accepted by it.
Large amounts of waste, including domestic and commercial waste, it seems were being stored on the ground, outside of buildings and not in containers in breach of permit conditions.
The Environment Agency says that several reports were issued to the Company about the situation but then on 2 October 2017, there was no one on-site. The Inspectors were seemingly unsuccessful in attempting to contact Mr Wells.
However, it seems that the Director, Mr Wells had abandoned the site on 11 September 2017, at which point it turned into a fly tipping zone which appeared to have had an unwelcomed effect on adjoining sites that suffered from pest issues due to the volumes of waste.
The site was sold following Compulsory Liquidation of LMS Skips and cleared in 2018 at a cost of £45,000.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
The Environment Agency takes waste crime very seriously and is committed to prosecuting when an offence has been committed.
We are determined to make life hard for criminals. We support legitimate business and we are proactively supporting them by disrupting and stopping the criminal element.
We urge all those seeking to become involved in the waste industry to ensure they have the appropriate permits and authorisations.
If you have any suspicions that waste crime is taking place please contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.
Are you a creditor looking to recover your money?
If you are a creditor of an insolvent company or a bankruptcy, Oliver Elliot can help you address your claim and concerns arising from the insolvency.
What Next?
Expert Advice Is Just A Click Away
If you have any questions in relation to [ ] then contact us as soon as possible for advice. Oliver Elliot offer a fresh approach to insolvency and the liquidation of a company by offering specialist advice and services across a wide range of insolvency procedures.
Our expertise is at your fingertips.
Disclaimer: Company Director Fined £1,272 For Abandoning Shropshire Waste Site
This page: Company Director Fined £1,272 For Abandoning Shropshire Waste Site is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. This article Company Director Fined £1,272 For Abandoning Shropshire Waste Site is provided for information purposes only. You can contact us on the specific facts of your case to obtain relevant advice via a Free Initial Consultation.
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
