A landowner has been prosecuted by the Environment Agency (EA) for operating an illegal waste site in Kent.

Paul Woodcock, from Sittingbourne, was found guilty of using The Quarry in Wormshill for unauthorised waste deposits to land at Medway Magistrates’ Court on 10 October.

He was given a four-month suspended sentence, with an electronically monitored Home Detention Curfew between 7pm and 7am as well as £2,300 in costs.

The court heard how the EA was alerted to waste being deposited, treated and disposed of at The Quarry in June 2015. The site did not benefit from an environmental permit or exemption which would authorise these activities.

-- Advertisement --

An inspection in July that year found piles of house clearance waste, construction and demolition waste, waste tyres and scrap vehicles which still contained polluting liquids and items such as batteries.

Mr Woodcock was provided with advice and guidance, and given four weeks to remove all waste from the site. However, by early September 2015, the site remained unchanged from the previous visit.

The EA issued a Notice under s59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 that required all waste to be removed from The Quarry by early November 2015, however the site remained unchanged.

Alan Cansdale, Environment Manager at the EA, said: "Mr Woodcock was fully aware that he was not allowed to conduct waste activities on his land, but continued to deposit and store waste whilst ignoring the advice and guidance issued to him by Environment Agency Officers."

(LM/MH)