Published: Tuesday, 28th February 2017
A high court injunction order has been served on an operative and landowner of an unlawful waste site in Staffordshire – prohibiting them from importing or processing material there.
Staffordshire County Council served interim injunction order on the two men in November 2016.
This latest ruling means that the order is now permanent, and means no material can be brought onto or processed at Oak Tree Farm at Slitting Mill near Rugeley.
The order was served on Denis Ward and Steven Reeves-Morgan, who had been bringing waste onto the site unlawfully. They must not bring waste onto the site, not recycle or burn any waste or disturb the waste which is currently burning.
In addition, they cannot remove any waste unless it is being taken to an authorised site. Any breach of the order could result in a fine, assets being seized or imprisonment.
They were also ordered to foot the bill for the clean-up of the site.
Staffordshire County Council’s environment leader Gill Heath said: “We’re pleased to have been able to take positive action against two people who have been operating this unlawful site. Their actions and the fire have caused distress to the local community and have been unacceptable.
“The county council has served this order on behalf of all of the organisations involved in dealing with this matter. We hope now that the two people who have received the orders take this seriously and comply with them.”
Staffordshire County Council was also awarded costs of £18,000.
The injunction comes after a Staffordshire-wide group has been set up to address the issue of illicit waste and unlawful waste sites.
Staffordshire County Council, along with other local authorities, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Staffordshire Police, the Environment Agency and Highways England are calling on residents and businesses in Staffordshire to help in the fight against these practices.
The public are being asked to take the registration number of any vehicles they think may be dumping waste illegally, and contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
For more information about correctly disposing of waste visit the Right Waste, Right Place website http://www.rightwasterightplace.com/.
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