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ELV permit failure leads to penalty for Nottingham man

A 64-year-old man who admitted to illegally depolluting and dismantling end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) at a site in Nottingham has been ordered to pay more than £13,000 and handed a four-month curfew.

Tony Haywood of Waterford Drive, Chaddesden, was charged following an investigation by the Environment Agency and appeared at Derby Magistrates Court last week (10 January).

An Environment Agency picture of the Awsworth site

According to the Agency, inquiries found that Mr Haywood had been dismantling and depolluting vehicles at the site at Shilo Way in Nottingham without the required Environmental Permit.

Permits are required for operators undertaking the ‘depollution’ of vehicles – which involves stripping vehicles of the many hazardous components such as oils and batteries.

The Agency said its enquiries began in June 2017 when Mr Haywood took over the site in Awsworth from his son, Stuart Haywood, “who was himself serving a 30-week custodial sentence for the same kind of illegal activities at the same location”.

Depollution

His son was ordered in June 2017 to remove all waste from the site and ensure depollution activities had stopped.

However, according to the Agency, despite initially complying with the order, between November 2017 and January 2018, Mr Haywood began to dismantle and depollute vehicles at the site. This was despite “him understanding his obligation to get an Environmental Permit for the work”.

The Agency added that during the hearing, the 64-year-old insisted he was trying to comply with the court order. The defendant’s ill health and lack of convictions since 2001 were also raised in mitigation.

Speaking after the case, the Environment Agency officer leading the investigation said: “Activities like this have the potential to harm the environment, blight communities and undermine legitimate businesses that do follow the rules.

“It’s our role to protect the environment for people and wildlife and we won’t hesitate to take action against those who put it at risk.”

Businesses that handle waste are subject to strict regulation and require a permit to operate under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (EPR).

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