The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted a Nottinghamshire waste company and a partner in the business for failing to comply with a demand for information about the materials being accepted.
At Worcester Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 14 March, Tetron Welbeck Limited Liability Partnership pleaded guilty and was fined £44,800, with costs of £5,605.05. The partnership was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000, bringing the total to £52,405.05.
Edward Seekings, a designated member of the partnership, also pleaded guilty and was fined £1,708. Seekings, 41, of Bridge Lane Court, Bawtry, Doncaster, was ordered to pay costs of £5,605.05 and a victim surcharge of £683, totalling £7,996.05.
The court heard that the partnership, whose office is at Hadzor Court, Hadzor, Droitwich, Worcestershire, had held an environmental permit since 2013 to operate a site at Welbeck Colliery near Mansfield. It was stated that the business changed hands around 2020.
The partnership failed to comply with a formal information notice served by the Environment Agency after it did not provide the requested information. The information was required to allow the Environment Agency to conduct an audit of the site to ensure that only waste within the correct category was being accepted.
The deadline for providing the information, as stated in the notice, was 15 June 2023. However, no information was received by that date. Seekings did submit a work plan on 15 June 2023, but it did not include the required information. Although Seekings engaged with the Environment Agency, he failed to provide the necessary details.
Further attempts by the Environment Agency to obtain the relevant information were unsuccessful.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
“We welcome this sentence, which should act as a deterrent to others considering flouting the law.
“As a regulator, the Environment Agency will not hesitate to pursue any person failing to provide requested information.
“In this case, the Environment Agency served a formal legal notice requiring information to be provided. It is a criminal offence to fail to comply with such a notice.
“If anyone suspects illegal waste activities, they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously and in confidence on 0800 555 111.”
The Charge
Tetron Welbeck LLP (Company Number OC366746) failed, without reasonable excuse, to provide the Environment Agency with information required by a written notice dated 15 May 2023, by the deadline of 15 June 2023. The notice was served under section 71(2) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the failure to comply is contrary to section 71(3) of the same Act.
The offence was committed with the consent, connivance, or neglect of Edward Seekings, contrary to section 157(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
• Mosaic mural celebrating the history of Netherfield is completed
