letsrecycle.com

Welsh man sentenced for burning waste on farmland

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has prosecuted a man for depositing and burning tonnes of waste on his land in Ynysybwl without an environmental permit.

Keiran Price was sentenced at Cardiff crown court In September after pleading guilty to two waste offences.

He was given a 12-month community order consisting of supervision (regular appointments with probation), and 10 days of rehabilitation, such as training or education, to reduce the chances of reoffending. For the second offence, he was given the same sentence to run concurrently.

Price was also fined £281, as well as a £160 contribution towards the prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge. The level of fine is based on the financial means of the defendants.

Investigation

NRW’s case against Price started in early 2022 when officers visited the farm following several reports of waste being deposited and burned on his land at Gilfach Glyd Farm.

During the visit, NRW officers saw large piles of deposited controlled waste consisting of bales of old tyres, as well as construction and demolition waste.

The investigation found there were no permits nor legitimate waste exemptions registered to the site that would have allowed him to legally store, sort or burn the waste.

Follow up visits in early 2023 are said to have found 148 tyre bales, with 30 of them partially buried in the upper field, along with construction and demolition waste. There was further construction and demolition waste in the lower field, as well as mattresses, fridges, black bags, metal and wood, some of which was partially burnt. The defendant told officers that the waste deposited on the lower field had been fly-tipped, but admitted to burning the material.

Price was served with a legal notice to remove the waste by 16 May 2023, but when officers returned on 5 June 2023 the waste had not been removed and further deposits identified.

Eleanor Davies, waste regulation team leader for NRW, said: “Environmental regulations are in place to ensure that waste is only deposited, stored and disposed of at properly licensed and regulated sites, which have the appropriate infrastructure in place to protect the environment and human health.

“We will not hesitate to take appropriate action against illegal waste activities to protect people, the environment, and the economy, safeguarding both nature and the marketplace for legitimate operators.”

Share this article with others

Subscribe for free

Subscribe to receive our newsletters and to leave comments.

Back to top

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the latest waste and recycling news straight to your inbox.

Subscribe