A tool hire company has been fined thousands of pounds for disposing nearly 3000 tonnes of waste on a Caerphilly borough common. Bob Gay Plant Hire Ltd, based in Pontypridd, was ordered to pay nearly £13,000 for disposing soil and construction materials on the land near Senghenydd.
Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court heard how the company was directed to put the waste on Eglwysilan Common by Terry Jones of Pen-yr-Heol Las Farm. Terry Jones had registered a waste exemption at his farm to use waste in construction. But the exemption did not include the nearby common and far exceeded the 1000 tonnes allowed of this type of waste to be stored for use. You can read more news from Caerphilly borough here.
It was heard how 2900 tonnes of the waste was deposited between March and July 2020 without the necessary permits or exemptions in place. The last deposit happened after Natural Resources Wales (NRW) ordered the company not to dispose any more waste following its initial investigation, which the district judge deemed deliberate.
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At the hearing on March 16, 2022, the district judge fined the company a total of £7,320 and ordered them to pay NRW costs of £5,197 and a victim surcharge of £170. Jon Goldsworthy, Operations Manager for NRW, condemned the offence.
He said: "Waste crime can have a negative impact on the environment, people’s health and their local communities. We will prosecute those who seek to profit by breaking the law and whose actions undermine legitimate businesses operating within the waste industry.We hope the outcome of this case sends a clear message that we will always take the appropriate steps to protect people and nature while also protecting the marketplace for legitimate operators."
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