A man has been sentenced to 26 months in prison for operating an illegal waste site on a farm in Worcestershire.
John Bruce, aged 45, was sentenced for 6 charges in relation to the operation of an illegal waste activity at Ridgeway Park Farm, Throckmorton Airfield, in Pershore.
Mr Bruce had pleaded guilty to these offences on an earlier occasion, and was referred to Worcester Crown Court for sentencing. He has now received an immediate custodial sentence of 26 months.
He ran a waste disposal operation centred on the site for 3 and a half years, between 2011 and 2014 without any permit.
He brought waste onto the site and either dumped it, buried it or burned it. The court heard that Mr Bruce purchased the site in July 2011 and ran a large scale illegal waste disposal operation at the farm.
Waste activities were first reported in 2011 and continued until December 2014 without any Environmental Permit.
Mr Bruce, who trades as UK Plant Services, operated under a fraudulent waste carriers registration number.
Heavy goods vehicles and articulated tippers removed waste from construction sites and permitted waste sites around the West Midlands. This was then deposited at the farm and disposed of on an industrial scale by burning and burial
Local complaints
Responding to complaints from local residents, Environment Agency officers met with Mr Bruce on a number of occasions, conducting site inspections and enforcing environmental regulations. Warnings were issued following evidence that burning had been taking place on the site.
Throughout March and April 2013, Mr Bruce treated and disposed of waste by burning large quantities of it at the farm.
For several weeks fires were continually burning at the site causing misery for local residents, endangering health and polluting the air in the area.
There was a major impact on the quality of life for local residents, as Mr Bruce burnt a large amount of plastic waste, causing plumes of putrid black smoke across the nearby village.
In April 2013, a fire at the site was attended by Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and the Environment Agency, yet he still repeatedly ignored the interventions of the Environment Agency and the Fire Service.
The waste on site consisted mainly of construction and demolition waste, some of which included aluminium waste products, which is classified as a hazardous waste. In total, approximately 26,000 cubic metres of waste was brought onto the site by Mr Bruce during the offending period.
Cattle
Mr Bruce kept his herd of cattle on site grazing amongst the waste and in conditions where polluting effluent was not contained.
Environment Agency officers also noticed that waste gypsum powder was being used as animal bedding and advised him that this practice was unlawful. They also noted that the cattle bedding also contained mixed waste, electric cables, drink cans and plumbing parts.
The used bedding was spread to land, causing odour complaints and a risk of pollution to the watercourse and land. He was advised to stop using the waste but continued to ignore the advice given by officers.
Brown liquid was seen seeping from storage areas, pooling and flowing in the direction of a small watercourse, approximately 100m away. Officers reported evidence of hazardous waste buried and the potential for discharge substances to enter the groundwater and the Piddle Brook.
'Significant harm'
In sentencing, the Judge commented that this was serious environmental offending and that there was a clear need for a deterrent sentence. Mr Bruce was given some credit by way of a discount on his sentence as he had pleaded guilty and avoided the need for a trial.
Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer in charge of the investigation said that John Bruce operated a sustained large scale illegal waste site at his farm.
"He imported, burned, buried and spread unsuitable polluting waste, causing pollution to the land and air, harm to the cattle and significant harm and disruption to local residents and businesses," the officer said.
"Mr Bruce has shown a blatant disregard for the environment and local community, subjecting local residents to months of misery by bringing on large quantities of waste and burning it on the site."
