The waste, which had built up at land off Wyke Lane in Wyke, near Bradford, was removed after site owner Andrew Leadbeater pleaded guilty to two waste offences earlier this year.
At West Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court in April, Leadbeater admitted operating a waste site without an environmental permit and failing to comply with an enforcement notice issued by the Environment Agency.
He was ordered to clear the site by 17 June and given two months to remove the waste, alongside a 12-month conditional discharge and £6,067.50 in costs.
The waste included fire-damaged trailers and mixed household rubbish.
Ben Hocking, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said: “Illegal waste operations like this have a negative impact on residents’ lives and I’m pleased this site has now been fully cleared.
“This is an example of how the Environment Agency is cracking down on waste crime across the sector and will always take action against those who break the law.
“It is important that anyone who has information about unlawful waste activity reports it to us as soon as possible so we can investigate and hold perpetrators to account.”
Waste dumping in Bradford area
Complaints about fly-tipping and waste burning at the site were first made to the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in 2023.
During a visit in June that year, Leadbeater told council officers that some of the waste had been fly-tipped on his land and admitted burning waste on site. He said he would stop the burning and arrange for the land to be cleared.
However, in June 2024, Leadbeater contacted the council himself to report further fly-tipping.
When officers visited, they found a significant quantity of waste and referred the matter to the Environment Agency.
Agency officers later spoke with Leadbeater, who said he was aware of the waste but did not know who had deposited it. He said he had attempted to secure the site and agreed to remove the waste urgently.
Follow-up inspections in November 2024 and March 2025 found that none of the waste had been removed.
The Environment Agency subsequently served a notice requiring all waste to be cleared by 22 September 2025, but this was not complied with.
Leadbeater also failed to attend an interview with the regulator in October 2025.
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