Boss of illegal waste firms must pay £1k
THE director of two illegal waste companies has been prosecuted and ordered to pay £1,000.
Glenn Sinclair, 41, from Stacksteads, who ran GPS General Property Solutions Ltd and the now dissolved company G&A Autos on rented land at Mercedes House on Market Street in Shawforth, operated without environmental permits for dealing with waste.
He pleaded guilty to a series of offences at Burnley Magistrates Court on Thursday, March 23 relating to failing to apply for permits, as required by law, and failing to comply with an enforcement notice.
Both operations were found to be accepting controlled waste onto site without first having obtained the relevant permits.
An extensive investigation by the Environment
Agency established that the waste included gas canisters which posed a significant risk of fire at the site.
Flies were also found to be present at the site following reports from local residents who also expressed concerns about rats, odour and noise, as a result of the illegal activities.
GPS General Property Solutions Ltd, were ordered to pay £5,000 in fines and £8,000 costs along with a £500 Victim Surcharge.
Mr Sinclair, director of both GPS General Property Solutions and the now dissolved company G&A Autos, was ordered to clear the waste and pay £1,000 costs.
Adam Daniels, a codirector of G&A Autos, previously volunteered an Enforcement Undertaking for his part in this case and has paid £100 to Rochdale Climate Change Fund.
The Enforcement Undertaking was accepted by the Environment
Agency in relation to his part in the offending, as he was unaware of the full scale of the offending and its impact.
Prior to legal action being taken, both companies and their director, Mr Glenn Sinclair, were given advice and guidance from Environment Agency officers and urged to obtain a permit so that it could operate legally.
Subsequent enforcement notices were also served on the companies. Despite this they continued to store waste at the site whilst being aware of the need to have an environmental permit.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We are glad to see the outcome of this prosecution.
“We gave both businesses extensive advice and guidance but despite this they continued to operate without the relevant permits and accepted further waste onto site.”
“Illegal waste sites undermine legitimate businesses, undercut their
prices, and blight the environment.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to tackle environmental crime and we are committed to ensuring that appropriate environmental standards
are adhered to.
“I would urge everyone to check that a waste site is licensed before using them by checking the public register online at gov.uk.
“If people suspect criminal activity, they should report it to our 24-hour incident hotline 0800 807060 or anonymously through CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111 and give as much detail as possible.”