Lorry driver who dumped 100 tonnes of waste at school jailed

The school said beetles hatching from the tip "took over the area"

A lorry driver who dumped 100 tonnes of stinking waste on a special school's car park, landing it with a £22,000 bill, has been jailed for 12 months.

Francis Heaton, 61, admitted leaving the pile at Oldham's Kingfisher Special School, in April 2018.

The school's principal said the smell from "the rotting tip was unbearable".

Judge Paul Lawton told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that Heaton, of Gorton, had committed a "deliberate, selfish and unlawful act".

Heaton's fly-tipping and subsequent arrest was caught on a dashcam by police

The pile meant windows at the primary school, which accommodates 192 children with complex and severe learning needs, could not be opened, leading to staff concerns about the health of children.

It also disturbed the routine of a number of pupils with autism, which the school said had caused them distress.

More stories from the North West of England

Heaton was caught by police while dumping waste and he later told officers he had made five trips to the site.

The Environment Agency, which investigated Heaton and brought the case against him, said the lock on the school's gates had been cut to allow him access to dump Trommel fines, highly processed household waste which is usually taken to landfill as it cannot be recycled.

'Extremely upset'

In court, Heaton's defence counsel said he was a man of "very limited income", who was the "fall guy" for others who had organised the dumping.

"There's a much greater degree of culpability further up the line," his counsel said, adding that another man seen in the lorry with Heaton had never been traced.

Heaton was described by his defence as a "fall guy" for others who arranged the dumping

Sentencing Heaton, Judge Lawton said it was "inconceivable" anyone could have thought the site was suitable for tipping.

He added that dumping the waste had been "a deliberate, selfish and unlawful act for short-term financial reward".

In a statement, the school's executive principal Anne Redmond said not only was the smell "unbearable" but "flying beetles" had hatched from the pile and infested the area.

She added her thanks to police for catching Heaton "so swiftly", as if they had not arrested him, "who knows how many more lorry loads of waste would have been tipped on our site?"