Stephen Billings of Mor Awel, Llanelli, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment but in light of his guilty plea, the sentence was reduced to 10 months at Swansea crown court. He was also ordered to pay £500 in costs at £50 per month.
In addition to this, Mr Billings must undertake 28 days of rehabilitation and 150 hours unpaid work.
Imports
NRW said that the court heard that Mr Billings imported waste compromising of 1,000 tonnes of plastics, fridges, general domestic and construction waste between 2019-2021 to land he was renting at Ffos Fach Farm, Bynea.
Officers from Natural Resource Wales visited the site several times to provide Mr Billings with instructions on how to make the site compliant with its regulations but despite these visits, he continued his illegal activities until 2021 when he left the site which was still covered in waste.
According to the authority, he was served with a Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) S59 Notice to remove the waste by 30 May 2023 which “refused” to comply with.
By operating without any permits or licenses, it is estimated that the costs avoided by Mr Billings in running his illegal waste operation was at least £83,000.
Mr Billings also admitted to treating and disposing of controlled waste in a manner that Natural Resource Wales said was likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.
Natural Resource Wales said that the authorities received 28 reports of burning waste at the site, which was said to visible from as far as three miles away.
‘Message’
Huwel Manley, head of operations for South West Wales, said: “Illegal waste operations impact the people, environment, public health and economy of Wales. They can pollute water, harm wildlife, put people’s health at risk and undermine legitimate businesses and put pressure on already overstretched resources of regulators and enforcement bodies.
“We hope that this result will send a clear message to illegal waste operators that their actions are not only harmful but also criminal, and that those who engage in illegal activities with no thought to the consequences of their actions will be investigated and prosecuted by NRW.”
Impact
Natural Resource Wales added that Mr Billings activities posed a risk to the Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Burry Inlet and Loughor Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which are adjacent to Ffos Fach Farm.
These areas are both protected and support a range of marine habitats and wildlife.
The effect of Mr Billing’s illegal waste activities are also said to have had an impact on other licensed waste operators in the area.
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