Pensioner fined for failing to remove waste near his home
A man from Culmhead has been fined £1,200 after he illegally stored waste at a site within the Blackdown Hills, Somerset.
In a case brought by the Environment Agency, Ivor Salter, 77, of Otterford Caravan Park, Culmhead, appeared before Taunton magistrates this week where he admitted two charges of failing to comply with notices requiring the removal of waste from his land.
He was fined £600 for each offence and ordered to pay £1,000 costs and a victim surcharge of £480.
The court heard the site did have in place a T9 Waste Exemption registered in the name of Ivor Salter. This allowed for the recovery of scrap metal only. It also had an S1 exemption allowing for waste storage in secure containers and an S2 exemption allowing the securing of waste in a secure place.
The T9 exemption allowed for the treatment of specified types and quantities of scrap metal, excluding scrap vehicles - at a site with sealed drainage to prevent liquid run off.
Enforcement officers who visited the site in January 2023 found waste including end of life vehicles and parts, a significant quantity of mixed metal, mixed waste electronic equipment as well as general commercial and domestic wastes and there was no sealed drainage.
During previous site visits, officers had attempted to secure voluntary removal of the waste and Salter had said he wished to clear the site. However, this was not forthcoming, and the officers issued him notices giving him until the end of the year to do so.
But, in January of this year, officers went back to the site and found waste still present, including a large amount of scrap metal and vehicles, gas bottles, batteries, wood, tyres, rubble and commercial and domestic waste, some of which was in skips. In addition, there was a smell of oil contamination in one area. Since then, the site has virtually been cleared of waste.
Chris Lawson from the Environment Agency said following the case:
Waste exemptions have strict limits and conditions that must be complied with to protect the environment. If we issue a notice to clear waste from a site and you fail to comply, you risk prosecution, a fine and a criminal record.