A court heard that more than 4,275 tonnes of mixed municipal waste were deposited at 16 unlicensed sites, including farmland, a historic manor house and a nature reserve.
The prosecution followed a complex multi-year investigation by the Environment Agency (EA) into a network of illegal dumping operations stretching from the northeast of England to the south coast.
The case concluded at Birmingham Crown Court last Friday (13 February 2026), where Varun Datta was made subject to a confiscation order and sentenced for his role in the offences.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds commented on the case: “This is a shocking case of illegal waste dumping, orchestrated by a group of shameless crooks who thought they could operate above the law.”
Waste dumped in plastic bales
The offences took place across sites in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Lancashire, Kent, Surrey, Rutland and Middlesbrough.
None of the locations held an environmental permit or valid exemption for the waste activity taking place.
The majority of the material dumped consisted of mixed municipal waste that had been wrapped in plastic to form bales before being transported and deposited.
Datta became a registered waste broker in 2015 through his company, Atkins Recycling. The court heard that he claimed the waste handled by the company was destined for a legitimate site at Kiveton Park, near Sheffield.
Emma Viner, Enforcement and Investigations Manager in the EA’s National Environmental Crime Unit, added: “We are glad to see the perpetrators brought to justice in this appalling case.
“Despite their attempts to conceal their criminality, our in-depth investigation spanning the length and breadth of the country ultimately uncovered those responsible.”
Fine and prison sentence ordered
Datta was ordered to pay £1.1 million, representing the financial benefit obtained from his criminal activity.
He must also pay £100,000 in compensation and £200,000 in prosecution costs, bringing the total financial penalty to more than £1.4 million.
In addition, the court imposed a four-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months. Datta was also ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity and 200 hours of unpaid work.
After initially pleading not guilty in 2023, Datta changed his plea and admitted the offences in June 2025, pleading guilty to knowingly causing controlled waste to be deposited at sixteen illegal sites.
Two others prosecuted
Two other men were prosecuted as part of the same case.
One received a fine, while another was given a suspended sentence alongside rehabilitation requirements and unpaid work. Arrest warrants remain active for two further suspects.
Sentencing Judge Paul Farrar KC described the offending as “reckless”, noting that “smell and flies were a feature at some of the illegal sites and caused a localised adverse effect to air quality”.
He added that landowners were “forced to incur substantial costs in removing the illegal waste”.
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