Burnley man ordered to pay £360k after dumping hazardous waste

John Allison, 75, of Burnley, dumped hazardous waste at two sites in Colne profiting by £840,000, a court hears

A "prolific waste criminal" has been ordered to pay £368,000 after dumping hazardous waste on a "large scale", the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

John Allison, 75, from Burnley was given the fine at Preston Crown Court after being given a three-year jail sentence in July last year.

The EA said he had deposited the waste at two sites in Colne, Lancashire, without a permit.

It caused "immense risk" and "significant fires", it added.

The court found Mr Allison benefitted £840,814 from his waste crimes.

The hazardous waste consisted of a mixture of household and commercial waste materials and a number of complaints about the waste had been made by the public, the EA said.

An EA spokesperson said the payment order, made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, was welcomed.

"This sends out a strong signal to others that we will continue to fight tirelessly to combat illegal waste crime and bring those responsible to justice," they added.

The watchdog urged people to check waste carriers or brokers were registered before using them.