In a statement announcing the fine this morning (28 February), the Environment Agency said the case was part of a series of prosecutions resulting from the Environment Agency’s “major investigation into waste crime in London”, Operation Angola.
According to the Agency, Martin Ward of Crannard Gardens, Newery, County Down, Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to knowingly causing waste to be unlawfully deposited on land off Herringham Way in Charlton, Telcon Way in Greenwich, Pensbury Place in Lambeth, and at Bianca Road in Peckham.
He was handed the fine after a case at Lavender Hill Magistrates Court.
The statement explained that between October 2019 and December 2019, a Ford Transit tipper, linked to Mr Ward, was used to illegally deposit mixed waste.
Through footage taken by members of the public and CCTV footage, Mr Ward’s vehicle was spotted illegally depositing the waste at Herringham Way, Telcon Way, Pensbury Place and Bianca Road.
Operation Angola
The Agency said the case is part of a series of prosecutions resulting from the Environment Agency’s Operation Angola.
This operation, according to the EA, is targeting “waste criminals who break into empty sites and illegally fill them with waste”.
Operation Angola is an ongoing investigation, since 2015, into a series of incursions by groups of individuals onto third party sites throughout the South East of England who have, while in occupation, unlawfully deposited large quantities of waste.
The scale of offending under Operation Angola is estimated to have cost its victims in the region of £22 million to date, the EA says.
Other fines included one handed down to Simon O’Donnell, then 31, of Latimer Road, London W10 6QX, was found guilty for the illegal dumping of mixed waste at a site in West Barnes Lane, Raynes Park, Wimbledon and Merton (see letsrecycle.com story).
‘Strong message’
Matt Higginson, Environment Manager for the Environment Agency, said: “This prosecution along with others from Op Angola, sends out a strong message that we will search out and prosecute anyone found to be dumping waste illegally.
“Illegally depositing waste at sites without regard for the environment and the law has the potential to harm our natural resources, blight communities and undermine the legitimate businesses that follow the rules.”
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