Boomeco fined over Avonmouth fly infestation

A waste company has been fined £14,000 for its part in a fly infestation which affected homes in Bristol last summer.

Boomeco Ltd also had to pay costs of £4,800 for breaching an environmental permit, after the case brought by the Environment Agency.

Bales of waste were stored at its plant in Avonmouth but their wrapping had torn allowing fluid to leak out.

Boomeco said it had changed the way it worked and no longer stored the bales at Avonmouth.

There were angry outbursts at Bristol Magistrates' Court from residents as the case was heard. During the infestation last summer, some residents had to eat meals under nets as flies swarmed into their homes.

The court heard that Boomeco was not solely responsible for the infestation, which was reported to the Environment Agency in May 2014, but it had contributed towards it.

Bales of waste, which were exported to be burnt as fuel, had to be wrapped in plastic sheets under the terms of its permit. But these were ripped open by forklift trucks, allowing liquid to spill out, attracting the flies.

The Environment Agency made repeated visits to the site in May and June and continued to see ripped bales leaking brown liquid and attracting flies.

Boomeco managing director Oliver Latter said in a statement that at the time, his firm had been a "new entrant to the market" and "should have taken greater care with this waste".

He added: "We are a responsible business. We have accepted responsibility, apologised to the court and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Stronger procedures are now in place to make sure this situation never occurs again."

Ian Withers, of the Environment Agency, said: "I think it's a satisfactory conclusion today for all parties."