Businessman fined £10,000 for illegally dumping hazardous materials
A BUSINESSMAN who operated a skip hire service in Brackley has been fined £10,000 for dumping hazardous materials without permission.
Richard Vernon, aged 59, pleaded guilty to depositing, storing and sorting waste, without the permission of the Environment Agency, through his business at Turweston Aerodrome, Westbury, between November 2010 and June 2011.
Mrs Sarah Nicholson, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court that Vernon’s illegal operation was discovered during a routine hazardous waste audit at the aerodrome and, despite advice from officers, he continued to operate and failed to apply for a permit.
Inspectors found hazardous waste at the site, including a waste fridge and cathode ray tube televisions, which could have damaged the environment.
Vernon, from Mixbury, near Brackley, told investigating officers he had been at the site for 20 years and had been a registered waste carrier since 1992. He said he had been taking waste to the site for four or five years.
Environment Agency officer Jeremy Hay said after the hearing: “By operating without an environmental permit and without the appropriate infrastructure, Mr Vernon was able to undercut legitimate operators and put the environment at risk.
“Everyone has a duty of care to ensure that whoever takes their waste is authorized to accept it and that it will be taken to a suitably permitted site.”
Following advice from the Environment Agency in March, Vernon said he would apply for the correct permit but failed to do so until December, after his court summons.
The permit is still being considered.
Before an environmental permit can be given, a number of conditions have to be complied with to protect the environment and local communities.
Magistrates’ at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court fined Vernon £10,000 for breaching the regulations, and ordered him to pay full costs of £2,251 and a £15 victim surcharge.
Illegal waste sites can be reported to the agency’s freephone hotline 24 hours a day on 0800 807060.
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