Suspended sentences for skip company directors
An Essex couple who ran an illegal skip hire company have both
been given suspended prison sentences and curfews. The couple
pleaded guilty to operating a waste facility without an
environmental permit. The company, "Jacko Skips", was also fined
for the same offence.
The company was fined £2,000, ordered to pay £6,000 costs and a
£15 victim surcharge. The couple were also given a 28-day prison
sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.
The couple's 2 month curfew runs between 8pm and 6am and 10pm and
6am respectively.
The court also imposed a remediation order against the
defendants. This says that the site must be cleared of all
controlled waste by 9th June 2011 and that the
Environment Agency (EA) must be provided with records of all waste
transfer notes of all waste removed. The EA are also invited to
inspect the site on a four weekly bases until the site is
cleared.
The EA said: "Companies operating waste transfer stations
without the correct permits are a threat to the environment, as
potentially harmful activities may go unmonitored. These
prosecutions should serve as a message to waste companies that
waste crime is a serious offence with tough penalties. They should
obtain the correct permits before commencing operations or face
enforcement action by the EA."