Andrew Park, director of Wyre Waste Recycling Ltd, based in Fleetwood, Lancashire pleaded guilty to six charges brought by the Environment Agency after an investigation into illegal waste activities by specialist crime officers.
Waste from Mr Parks legitimate operations was allegedly transferred to two areas of land in order to be illegally disposed of on farm land.
Mr Park, who operates a skip hire business and waste transfer station in Fleetwood, had allegedly been diverting some of the waste he collected to Pitfield Farm and other waste to a site at Lancaster Road, Preesall. Neither site had suitable permissions in place to allow them to accept the types of waste sent to them.
Investigations found that Mr Park, through his company Park Organic Farms Ltd, was supposedly carrying out a composting operation on waste at Pitfield Farm.
Officers found that the waste wasnt being composted or wasnt suitable for composting as it contained significant quantities of plastic and metals. Some of the waste was allegedly disposed of by being ploughed into fields at the site. None of the activities alleged to have taken place were covered by the authorisations he had registered with the Environment Agency.
Leachate
There were pools of leachate found around the site, all with the potential to pollute local rivers and streams.
Steve Molyneux, Environment Manager for Lancashire said, The Environment Agency has a range of tools available to ensure that waste criminals do not benefit financially from their illegal operations. Mr Park was aware of the rules and regulations. The penalties imposed by the courts show should send a clear message to other illegal operators that we will chase after tough penalties if you fall outside of the law.
Register for free to comment