Man to repay £300k for dumping illegal waste in Pontypool
- Published
Some 5,223 tonnes of rubbish had to be cleared from the site
A man who allowed thousands of tonnes of illegal waste to be dumped on land he was renting in Torfaen has been ordered to pay back more than £300,000.
Christopher Baylis, 57, ignored warnings to remove the waste and install proper drainage at the site in Pontypool.
He had previously pleaded guilty to environmental charges.
Judge Neil Bidder QC ordered him to pay back £319,136 in a confiscation order at Newport Crown Court.
Christopher Baylis was a director of 17 companies
The environment body Natural Resources Wales said it would "not tolerate" people who seek to profit by "damaging the environment".
The land owner, Pontypool Park Estate, had to pay £723,451 to clear 5,223 tonnes of waste left at the site.
Baylis, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was sentenced in February 2016 to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also disqualified as a director for five years.
The local authority deposited 3,661 tonnes of waste on the site at the Polo Grounds Industrial Estate in New Inn, paying a total of £193,000 to Baylis' companies.
The defendant then continued to dump council waste at the site despite being warned by Natural Resources Wales to remove it.
But Judge Bidder said the regulator did not take enforcement proceedings "for a substantial time".
In 2016, Baylis pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to knowingly permitting the operation of a regulated facility without authority.
He also pleaded guilty to failing to comply with environmental notices he was issued.
The court heard Baylis had been a director of 17 companies, all but one had been dissolved and eight had never filed company accounts.
One of the companies had traded lawfully with Tata Steel, to supply steel cans.
Judge Bidder said there had been "long term abuse by this defendant of the corporate regime" and Baylis had gained a "criminal advantage".
Jon Goldsworthy, from Natural Resources Wales, said: "We hope the outcome of this case will send out a positive message to those in the waste industry, that Natural Resources Wales will not tolerate those who seek to profit by breaking the law, harming local communities or damaging the environment."