Company fined for dumping illegal waste in village

Fletcher Plant Limited dumped waste at illegal site at Fen Lane, Long Bennington

A transport firm has been ordered to pay more than £160,000 for dumping waste at an illegal site in Lincolnshire.

Fletcher Plant Limited, of Clement Street, Sheffield, was previously found guilty following a trial in June last year of failing to manage waste properly.

Nottingham Crown Court heard the company delivered more than 1,400 tonnes of controlled waste to a site at Fen Lane, Long Bennington.

They were sentenced at the same court on 8 August and have been fined £80,000, ordered to pay costs of £50,000, a victim surcharge of £181 and face a confiscation order of £37,587.

The court was told lorry-loads of shredded waste were regularly being accepted onto the site the size of a football pitch.

The judge accepted that the company did not know it was an illegal site but said its officers failed to carry out the correct duty of care.

The company said it was the first time it had been prosecuted in over 40 years and a new management team had been put in place.

Nottingham Crown Court heard the company dumped more than 1,400 tonnes of waste at the site

It follows a major investigation by the Environment Agency into the Lincolnshire site.

Last year, nine people were sentenced for their involvement in the operation.

Peter Stark, enforcement team leader for the Environment Agency in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, said: "All businesses involved in the removal of controlled waste must make all reasonable checks to ensure that waste is being dealt with appropriately and not illegally.

"If simple and continued due diligence checks had been made by Fletcher Plant they would have flagged up that the site operators did not have the appropriate authorisations."

He urges anyone who suspects illegal waste activity should report it.

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