A Burton man has been sentenced to seven months in prison after
illegally using land to repeatedly store and burn mixed waste, following a
court hearing at Stafford Crown Court last month.
Robert
Murphy was sentenced on April 30, following a hearing relating to the operation
a waste facility on land close to the A38 at Eggington near Burton-upon-Trent.
Despite a
stop letter issued by the Environment Agency, Murphy used the site over a
15-month period, changing of the locks to the site entrance, the deployment of
CCTV and the deployment of a concrete block to prevent access to the land.
Environment
Agency – “Throughout the investigations Murphy was given a number of
opportunities to stop his illegal activities but continued to show a complete
disregard towards the environment, landowners and authority”
The waste
included metal, wood, electrical items and demolition waste. Stafford
Crown Court decided an immediate custodial sentence was needed due to the
seriousness of the defendant’s actions.
Further
proceedings have been scheduled for 12 June so the landowner can seek
compensation to pay for some of the clean-up costs.
An
Environment Agency officer involved with the investigation said: “Throughout
the investigations Murphy was given a number of opportunities to stop his
illegal activities but continued to show a complete disregard towards the
environment, landowners and authority.
“This
prosecution demonstrates that we take cases such as this very seriously and
will not hesitate to prosecute if necessary, to protect the environment and
local communities.”
Source :CIWM
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