Haulage firm fined £10k for 'recklessly' allowing waste to be dumped at Fineshade beauty spot

They court heard they had failed in their duty of care
Some of the waste at Monkton SidingsSome of the waste at Monkton Sidings
Some of the waste at Monkton Sidings

A haulage firm and its director have been ordered to pay £9,923 for moving soil and hardcore in and out of an illegal waste site close to ancient Fineshade wood north of Corby.

BRC Haulage Ltd, of Cygnet Park, Hampton, Peterborough, and Robert Canavan, Director of BRC Haulage Ltd, pleaded guilty at Northampton Magistrates Court Wednesday (June 9) to three charges of illegally depositing waste and five charges of breaching their waste duty of care by failing to prepare waste transfer notes to document the nature of the waste leaving the site.

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The illegal waste site they used at Monkton Sidings in Fineshade near Corby had no environmental permit and is operated by serial waste offender, Stephen Lack, who was jailed for 18 months in January 2021.

The lack of environmental permit meant that waste was stored on the bare ground placing land and water resources, including the neighbouring Fineshade Woods, at risk.

Environment Agency Lawyer, Sarah Dunne, told the court that Waste transfer notes are necessary to ensure that waste is handled safely and correctly. BRC Haulage Ltd had many years of experience and knew that such documentation was required but didn’t take steps to record waste movements in and out of the Monkton Sidings site.

She also explained how they had prevented the Environment Agency from effectively regulating the site and, by depositing waste at an unpermitted site, had saved costs and fees.

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Defending BRC Haulage Ltd and Robert Canavan, barrister Mauro Maselli, said that the defendants apologised for their offending. He told the court that they had co-operated with the Environment Agency and had admitted the offences at an early stage.

Sentencing the defendants, the magistrates observed that this had been reckless offending. Fining the Company £5,000, BRC Haulage Ltd were told that they had been in business long enough to understand that they were working in a highly regulated industry and that Stephen Lack was not a lawful operator. The Company was ordered to pay the Environment Agency’s costs of £4,128.

Robert Canavan, of Park Road, Peterborough in his capacity as a Director, was fined £768 and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £77.

Yvonne Daly, Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Illegal waste sites like Monkton Sidings are a blight on our environment, countryside and to communities and legitimate business.

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“We would advise members of the public to make their own due diligence checks when choosing a waste carrier before there is any commercial contractual agreement.

“You can check your waste collectors waste carriers registration at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers or call 03708 506 506."

Earlier this year the Environment Agency and partners launched the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, aiming to stop serious and organised crime in the UK Waste Industry. You can find out more about the initiative on our website.