Man who burned asbestos waste fined £20,864

Vehicles, domestic appliances and soft furnishings were burned at the site

A man who burned waste including asbestos has been ordered to pay charges totaling £20,864.

Mark Greenhalgh operated a illegal waste site in Woburn Sands, near Milton Keynes, without an environmental permit. The 64-year-old admitted to two waste crime charges at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on Friday.

The Environment Agency said officers had investigated the site between 2018 and 2023 and found large amounts of waste on each visit, but their advice was continuously ignored.

It added that as the site was close to a housing estate and an ancient woodland, his activities had put residents and nature at risk of harm.

The Woburn Sands site was investigated by the Environment Agency between 2018 and 2023

Greenhalgh, of Warwick Avenue, Milton Keynes, also burned vehicles, domestic appliances and soft furnishings at the site.

According to the Environment Agency, all the waste had been stored improperly which had caused a fire risk.

In August 2022, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue deployed multiple pumps to a significant fire at the scene.

Greenhalgh admitted to two charges of knowingly causing or knowingly permitting the deposit of controlled waste.

He was ordered to pay £720 in fines, £288 in victim surcharges and prosecution costs worth £19,856.23 within 12 months.