Man who ran illegal waste site hit with fine

Thomas Reilly ran an illegal waste site at Top Farm in Barton-in-Fabis, near Nottingham, between 2016 and 2021

A man who ran an illegal waste site has been fined almost £20,000.

Thomas Reilly operated the site at Top Farm in Barton-in-Fabis, near Nottingham, between 2016 and 2021, and dumped waste at other sites across Nottinghamshire.

The 75-year-old, who traded as Thomas Reilly Groundworks, previously pleaded guilty to four offences of operating sites without environmental permits and illegally depositing waste on land between 2016 and 2023.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court on 8 October, Reilly, of Mill Acre Close in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, was fined £19,248, ordered to pay costs of £17,500, and a victim surcharge of £120.

Aerial images showed a variety of waste materials were stored at the site at Top Farm

An Environment Agency investigation, which included a drone survey at Top Farm, revealed aerial images showing a variety of waste materials being stored, including black bin bags, bricks, and green waste.

It appeared to be a landfill site without the necessary permissions or environmental protection infrastructure, a spokesperson for the organisation said.

It was accepted Reilly was not responsible for all the waste deposited at the site, but he admitted he had left his digger there for "considerable periods of time".

As well as offending at Top Farm, Reilly admitted to other offences at different sites in Nottinghamshire.

He admitted operating an illegal waste site on land in Oxton Road, Southwell, between 2020 and 2021.

The agency reported he illegally dumped eight lorry loads of waste soils at Oxton Road, where inspectors later found six deep pits and a stable block filled with fridges, books, and magazines.

Between April and July 2023, Reilly illegally dumped 160 tonnes of waste soil on land at Winking Hill in Ratcliffe-on-Soar, the agency added.

The landowner discovered deposits in April 2023 and began monitoring the site. In July that year, the landowner approached the defendant who admitted being responsible.

Then, in September 2023, Environment Agency officers witnessed Reilly reversing his lorry into open fields at Flawforth Lane in Ruddington, where he dumped more waste soil without the required permit or exemption.

Reilly, the agency said, had told the court the waste was imported as "finishing and levelling works" to fill holes that had been dug on the land in Ruddington by unidentified individuals.

'Protecting public health'

The agency said despite the offences listed, Reilly provided the court with documentary proof of legal deposits of waste at regulated facilities throughout the period of offending.

In mitigation, it was reported that Reilly was a man of "clean character".

Following Reilly's court appearance, a spokesperson for the Environment Agency said it would not "tolerate illegal waste operations that put our environment and communities at risk".

"Operating waste facilities without proper permits is not just about regulatory compliance - it's about protecting public health and preventing environmental damage," the spokesperson added.