evon haulier jailed for illegal waste disposal
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The co-owner of Bideford Skip hire has been jailed for illegally burying 3,000 tonnes of waste
roger. brownfar bi. co. u k THE CO-OWNER of Devon-based Bideford Skip Hire has been sent to prison for nine months for illegally burying 3,000 tonnes of waste, including asbestos.
In a case brought by the Environment Agency (EA), Exeter Crown Court heard how Petra Bond, 66, from Shebbear, Devon, ordered staff to put asbestos, diesel-contaminated waste and other refuse into the ground at the company premises, in a bid to cut costs.
Bond was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court after admitting two waste offences, and being found guilty of another four offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007 Her son and business partner, Julian Goddard. 40, was fined £3.750 and ordered to pay £4,000 costs after being found guilty of two offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The court was told that in 2006 there had been a series of fires at the premises, which caused damage to a large shed containing about 15 tonnes of bonded asbestos.
Following the last fire. Bond told an employee to take the fire-damaged waste to an adjoining property — Goodleigh Cottage — excavate a hole and bury it in an area just behind a wall, "as quickly as possible".
Bond also instructed staff to bury a second consignment of asbestos, stored on several pallets, in a corner of the waste transfer station.
A total of three former employees said that in 2007 the firm had supplied skips to a business in Torrington, Devon, where sand was used to mop up a diesel spillage.
The skips were later stored in a car park at Goodleigh Cottage where they started leaking diesel. Bond told staff to dig a hole and bury the dieselcontaminated waste.
However, when an employee asked Bond why the waste could not be disposed of legitimately, she told him that would be -too expensive-.
A couple of skips of mixed waste were also buried at the same time.
Eventually EA officers carried out two investigations at the site in May 2008 and March 2009. Between 2,000 to 3,000 tonnes of waste was illegally buried at the site and in the grounds of the neighbouring property.
In addition, they discovered a liquid described as a -malodorous leachate.
The court was told the defendants had denied the EA access to the site on a number of occasions during the investigation and had been "unhelpful and obstructive".