Northumberland man convicted for illegal waste activity – Ben Thomas prosecutes
Park Square BarristersThe Defendant was convicted by the jury following an eight-day trial of operating a regulated facility without a permit and treating waste in a manner likely to cause harm to human health.
The Defendant was running an illegal waste site during the first COVID-19 lockdown, involving storing and treating end of life vehicles, and importing and burning household waste on the site, which was land in a rural area south of Berwick. The operation caused a significant adverse effect on local residents who suffered the effects of smoke from the fires, exacerbated by being required to remain at home. Many of the residents gave evidence at trial about the impact of the offending on their health and lives.
The trial involved examination of the definition of waste and significant challenge to the evidence of the Environment Agency officers and the local residents.
Ben Thomas was instructed to prosecute this case by the Environment Agency.
Ben is a specialist Regulatory and Public Law Barrister. He has significant experience of prosecuting and defending prosecutions brought by the Environment Agency & The Health and Safety Executive under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and is also regularly instructed by local authorities to advise on prosecution, and to conduct cases on their behalf, covering the full breadth of their work. These have included health and safety offences, food hygiene breaches, environmental and planning offences. He is often instructed pre-charge to advise on prosecution and on investigations.
For news coverage please see the links below:
Northumberland man sentenced for illegal waste activity
Illegal Berwick scrap man blighted lives with ‘foul’ fires – BBC News
Contact Ben’s clerks
Madeleine Gray on 0113 202 8603
Patrick Urbina on 0113 213 5250