North Yorks farmer fined £3,000 for illegally setting fire to waste

The fire was filmed by a police helicopter crew (Photo: National Police Air Service)
The fire was filmed by a police helicopter crew (Photo: National Police Air Service)

A North Yorkshire farmer has been fined £3,000 after illegally setting fire to a huge pile of waste on his land.

Charles Roderick Pickering has also been ordered to pay £1,729.44 costs and a £170 victim surcharge.

Thick black smoke bellowed out of the fire caused by Mr Pickering, who set a huge fire to UPVC door and window frames, wood, wheelie bins, a fridge and shower trays. It spanned 50 metres.

The 71-year-old appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Friday (10 November), and admitted two waste offences brought by the Environment Agency in December last year.

The fire, which was ignited on Mr Pickering’s Holdensfield Farm in North Yorkhire and was left unattended, was filmed by a National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter crew.

Environment Agency officers attended the site of the fire on December 19, and found burnt waste which included televisions, carpet, mattresses, kitchen units and garden waste.

Speaking after the court case, Environment Agency spokesperson Rachael Caldwell said: “Ignorance is not an excuse for flouting environmental laws.

“Not only did Pickering unlawfully accept controlled waste onto his farm, he put the health of the local community and environment in danger by setting fire to it, producing a flume of smoke and fumes.

“This case demonstrates the need for everyone to take their environmental responsibilities seriously. Failure to do so can have an immediate impact on people around you and pollute the environment for future generations.”