Three men have been fined almost £14,000 after mobile phone records helped prosecute them for using a Derbyshire farm as an illegal waste site.
At Derby Magistrates’ Court, the three men admitted depositing shredded waste at Great Low Farm, Buxton, between 6 and 9 November 2020.
The trio were fined and ordered to pay costs totalling £13,970 after a joint investigation by the Environment Agency and the Derbyshire Police Rural Crime team.
Joseph Kidd, 35, was fined £830, a victim surcharge of £83 and ordered to pay costs of £8,000.
Anthony Melland, 54, was fined £432, a victim surcharge of £43 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000.
Adam Swindells, 30, was fined £529, a victim surcharge of £53 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000.
The court was told that on 9 November 2020, Derbyshire Fire Service attended the farm where shredded waste and tyres were on fire.
While tackling the fire, a JCB Fastrac and trailer, driven by Swindells, arrived at the farm containing eight tonnes more of shredded waste.
This led to the start of the joint investigation and the arrests of Melland, who owned the land, Swindells, and Kidd, who owned the tractor.
Investigators seized their mobile phones and found evidence of the trio’s involvement in previous deposits.
The Magistrates court was told that the men had no environmental permit and failed to keep waste transfer notes.
The three men initially denied the charges but changed their pleas on the day of the scheduled trial.
Brian Jones, lead investigator for the Environment Agency, said the site “posed a significant environmental threat” as there was a high risk of fires.
Andy Shaw, from Derbyshire Police’s Rural Crime team, commented: “Swindells, Kidd and Melland could have been in no doubt about their illegal activities and the potentially serious environmental and health-related issues that they could have caused.
“Thankfully, members of the public phoned the Fire Service reporting concerns about the large blaze the trio had set – and we were able to attend and swiftly arrest them.
“It is important to remember that this kind of crime is not victimless, and the resulting fines show the seriousness with which the courts take these matters.”
