Illegal waste operator handed £350,000 penalty
Tony Leigh Shepherd, 41, was handed the penalty on Monday (17 August) following a confiscation hearing at Teesside Crown Court.
The Environment Agency (EA) began proceedings to recover the value of assets obtained through the crime after Shepherd was sentenced in February 2014 to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, for running two illegal waste sites in the area.
At the original trial, Shepherd admitted to three charges of running a waste transfer facility on the two sites (situated at West Musgrave Farm, St Helen Auckland and Hackworth Industrial Estate, Shildon) between August 2009 and July 2011, illegally depositing, sorting and storing mixed household and industrial waste.
Following the EA’s investigation into his illegal gains, the court ordered Shepherd to pay back £350,000, which could rise to an agreed benefit sum of £1.168 million should he come into future assets. If he fails to pay, he could face a prison sentence.
The EA says that the penalty is one of the biggest seizures in its history in the North East.
Shepherd’s father, Raymond Shepherd, who managed Albert Hill Skip Hire in Dodsworth Street, Darlington, is also the subject of a PoCA investigation after being found guilty of operating a regulated facility without a licence, unlawfully depositing controlled waste and failing to comply with a suspension notice.
He was jailed for 18 months in December 2013.
‘Debt for life’ demonstrates severity of waste crime
The EA’s Waste and Enforcement Manager for the North East, Andrew Turner, said: “This is a significant confiscation order and sends out the message to others who flout the law that waste crime does not pay.
“They will not only be hit with court action but they’ll also be hit in the pocket. This is a debt for life for Shepherd as any assets in the future could go towards paying back the full amount.
“Waste crime undermines legitimate businesses and can have significant detrimental impacts on communities and the environment.
“This hearing demonstrates how seriously we take waste crime and we’ll continue to take action against those operating outside of the law and the regulations.”
Environment Agency stamping down on waste crime
The EA has increased publicity of waste crime recently, urging landowners to be aware of the potential costs of leasing property to operators of illegal sites and alerting the public to the tell-tale signs of illegal waste activity.
Jacqueline Powell, a former director of Monmouthshire-based organics recycling company Wormtech, was due to appear at Cardiff Crown Court last week (12 August) facing costs of up to £1.6 million after she and two other directors were found guilty of breaching the conditions of the company’s environmental permit.
Compost leachate was found to be leaking from the site’s storage areas, contaminating the surrounding land and ground waters.
The hearing has now been moved to 19 October.
Learn more about how the Environment Agency investigates waste crime.
