Housing firm pays £100k for dumping waste soil in Northumberland

Bellway said it was using the soil to create an artificial pond to catch excess rainwater

A housing company has paid £100,000 for dumping soil contaminated with metal, plastics and vehicle tyres on a site it was developing.

Bellway Homes offered to pay the civil sanction to three charities after an inquiry found it moved waste between sites, the Environment Agency said.

The housebuilder said the soil was for a pond at a Northumberland development.

But the Environment Agency ordered it to remove the polluted soil and take it to a waste facility.

Bellway offered to pay a civil sanction which is a voluntary offer to put things right

It said Newcastle-based Bellway imported the contaminated waste soil on to the St Mary's Park site in Stannington from one of its developments at nearby Five Mile Park between November and December 2017.

The housing firm argued one of its consultants had told them it was allowed to import the soil without any authorisation.

'Put things right'

It submitted an enforcement undertaking which was accepted by the Environment Agency

Andrew Turner, area environment manager for the Environment Agency in the North East, said: "While we will always take forward prosecutions in the most serious cases, enforcement undertakings are an effective enforcement tool to allow companies to put things right and contribute to environmental improvements."

Bellway agreed to pay £50,000 to Northumberland Wildlife Trust, £30,000 to Wear Rivers Trust and £20,000 to Tyne Rivers Trust.

In a statement a spokesperson for Bellway said it had "fully remediated the issue" with the Environment Agency.

The spokesperson added: "Bellway has excellent environmental credentials and we are delighted to be able to work with local environmental charities in this way."