Steven Broadley, Stephen Butler and their company, Broadly and Parton Limited, were sentenced on Thursday (February 18) by HHJ Pearce Higgins QC for their activities on land at the Wildmoor-based site.
Stephen Bragg, an employee on the site, was also sentenced at the end of the four-day hearing for his part in operating the site beyond the extent of the environmental permit.
The defendants, all of whom pleaded guilty before their trial, have been fined a total of £18,750 and ordered to pay £30,250 in costs – in what the Environment Agency has branded a “particularly complex prosecution”.
A further two defendants, Brian Williams and John Chamberlain, have been convicted for illegally depositing waste at the Quarry but are awaiting sentencing.
Permit
The Judge heard evidence that the site had operated beyond the terms of the permit, and that industrial and municipal waste had been buried in parts of the Quarry. The defendants had made financial gain from the activity between 2011 and 2012 contrary to the Environmental Permitting Regulations.
Despite a two-year investigation conducted by the Environment Agency, it was claimed that the company directors and site managers had ignored repeated warnings that their activities were unlawful and posed a significant risk to the environment.
But, in mitigation, both Mr Broadley and Mr Butler stated the gains made by the unlawful operation had been overestimated and the actual environmental risk was low.
The two also denied any knowledge of waste being been buried or having made any substantial financial benefit – which the Judge accepted in the sentencing.
It was also said that Mr Bragg had pleaded guilty at the very first possible opportunity and was of previous clean character.
Commenting on the sentencing, Judge Pearce Higgins QC said it was clear to him that the site had been operated in an “irregular and haphazard way”.
Harm
Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer in charge of the investigation added: “This site posed a risk to the environment and had the potential to harm human health because it did not have the correct infrastructure in place to support the waste being disposed of there.
“All of the defendants have significant experience in the waste industry so they would have been fully aware of their obligations to comply with environmental permitting rules which help ensure the environment remains protected. Each defendant was given warnings by the Environment Agency that the operation at Cinetic Quarry was unlawful, but these warnings were ignored.
“This is unacceptable; we take waste crime extremely seriously and will not hesitate to prosecute in cases such as this.”
When contacted by letsrecycle.com, Broadley and Parton Limited could not be reached for comment.
Register for free to comment