Security boss allowed illegal dumping at former factory
ASECURITY supervisor has pleaded guilty to allowing a former factory to be used as a waste dumping site.
David Wallis, 58, of Halifax Road, Rochdale, permitted dumping at the now derelict former Turner Brothers Asbestos site, on Rooley Moor Road, Rochdale.
The site is a former factory and there was no permit.
Mr Wallis permitted vehicles with construction and demolition waste, soul and household waste to be deposited on the site, from April 3 to July 7, 2016, an Environment Agency (EA) boss said.
Mr Wallis pleaded guilty to knowingly permitting the operation of an illegal waste site in Rochdale at Manchester Crown Court.
He was given a Community Order of 12 months with 180 hours of unpaid work, and an £85 victim surcharge.
The Environment Agency brought the case forward after a lengthy investigation where officers visited the site and witnessed the vehicles entering and depositing the waste.
Further investigation established that the land owners had employed a security company to secure the site, with at least two security guards there at all times.
Mr Wallis, the supervisor, oversaw security at the site and instructed the guards to allow the vehicles on site to tip and also instructed them to record registration numbers and how often each vehicle tipped and to then text the information to Mr Wallis, the EA said.
Officers were able to obtain photographic evidence of the texts.
The security company then conducted their own investigation, and shared their conclusions with the Environment Agency, which led to officers gaining the registration numbers of vehicles entering the site and how frequently.
A number of operators were identified.
When questioned, all confirmed they had tipped on the site with most cases implicating Mr
Wallis. In mitigation Mr Wallis’ barrister, Keith Jones, told the court that Mr Wallis was just one person involved in the site.
When sentencing His Honour Judge Lever told Mr Wallis “dumping is a major problem and a very serious issue just as the country is realising its green values.
“Offending of this nature is not only breaking the law but harms the environment.”
After the hearing, Mark Easedale, Area Environment Manager for Greater Manchester, said: “The Environment Agency takes waste crime very seriously and are committed to prosecuting when an offence has been committed.
“Illegal waste sites undercut legitimate business, can cause severe damage to the environment and misery for local residents. We are determined to make life hard for criminals.
“We support legitimate business and we are proactively supporting them by disrupting and stopping the criminal element.
“We would like to remind all landowners and occupiers that they may be required to clear waste which has been deposited illegally at their own expense and may be prosecuted if they fail to do so.
“If you have any suspicions that waste is being deposited on your land please contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 or the police as soon as possible.”