Man fined over £7,700 for failing to remove waste from his land in Solihull at Birmingham Magistrates.
Benjamin Summers, 80, ignored a formal Notice from the Environment Agency to remove waste from his land and operated a waste facility without the necessary environmental permit.
Summers admitted the offences and was fined £1107 and ordered to pay costs of £6545.85.
The magistrates also imposed a Remediation Order, giving Summers four months to completely clear any outstanding waste from the land.
The Environment Agency launched an investigation into Summers in February 2023 after being notified by the local authority.
They found evidence of approximately 35 cubic metres of mixed waste being stored on the land, made up of plastics, metal, treated wood, and derivatives.
Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment and harm human health.
Between February 2023 and August 2023, Environment Agency officers visited the site five times and requested Summers to clear the wase.
On 1 November 2023, Summers was issued a formal Notice to clear the waste by 1 January 2024. However, when Environment Agency officers visited the site after the deadline and found that no waste had been removed.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency commented: “The Environment Agency will pursue any person or company that fails to uphold the law to protect nature and will continue to press for the strongest possible penalties.
“Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment and harm human health.”
