A farmer has received a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay over £18,000 after he was found guilty of illegally burning hazardous waste.
East Anglian farmer Brian Rutterford, 71, burnt waste including freezers, fridges and dead livestock at Blackdyke Farm in Hockwold-cum-Wilton, near Braondon.
He was sentenced on Wednesday 1 May for operating the illegal waste site, despite being warned numerous times in 2017 that it was against the law to do so.
Rutterford also allowed other people to use his waste site, which included waste such as kitchen unit doors, plastic, rubber and metal items.
Businesses that intend to burn waste need to have the correct permit, something Rutterford did not have.
He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years on condition and told to pay costs and a victim surcharge amounting to £18,051.50.
Environment Agency officer Naomi Daniel said about the case: “Burning waste saved the cost of legal disposal and put the environment at real risk. Burning fridges and freezers releases climate-changing chemicals and pollutes the atmosphere.”
