Father and son sentenced over illegal waste sites

Drones captured the areas where waste was being sorted and stored

A father and son have been sentenced after admitting illegally burning waste at two sites in Derbyshire.

Keith, 63, and 37-year-old Leon Mrvik brought large amounts of waste on to farmland they owned near Draycott while involved in a skip hire business.

Environment Agency officers said a drone used to investigate the area was the target of gunshots.

Both men admitted operating without an environmental permit with Keith sentenced to 55 weeks in prison and Leon sentenced to 58 weeks in prison, both suspended for 22 months.

Drone attack

Keith Mrvik of Cole Lane, Borrowash, Derbyshire, was also ordered to do 140 hours of unpaid work at Derby Crown Court on 12 November.

Leon Mrvik, of Draycott House Farm, was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work.

The men admitted importing waste between 4 November 2019 and 23 December 2021 at Draycott House Farm and between 25 April 2020 and 12 August 2021 at Ayrshire Fields Farm.

The Environment Agency said the Mrviks processed the waste including burning it on the sites despite not having an environmental permit to do so.

This, officers said, avoided substantial permitting and waste disposal charges.

When an agency team visited Draycott House Farm, a drone was flown over the site but this was recalled due to gunshots being fired.

'Environmental threat'

Further searches at both sites found skips and bags containing rubble, plumbing waste, asbestos cement, pallets and household waste.

Yellow biohazard bags full of waste were also noted, officers said.

Both sites had bonfires which contained the remains of milk bottles, tin cans, bed springs and bricks.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "These sites posed a significant environmental threat due to the high risk of fire and potentially significant impact to local communities and amenities.

"The Environment Agency will pursue anyone who fails to uphold the law or protect nature and will continue to press for the strongest possible penalties."

Both men are due to appear in court again next year at proceeds of crime hearings.