Abdul Jafor, of Repton Street, London, E14, pleaded guilty to illegally operating the site; he was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £2,180 costs.

Thames Magistrates court in Bow heard how Mr Jafor had been operating an end of life motor vehicle site between November 2004 and April 2005 at his yard in Wallis Road, Hackney. Environment Agency officers became aware of Mr Jafor’s activities in October 2004 during an inspection visit when they found a large amount of waste vehicle parts stored just inside the entrance.

As Mr Jafor was not around, the officers left information on the end of life vehicles regulations, waste management licence application forms, and other documentation with a man at the yard who was asked to pass them over to Mr Jafor.

When Mr Jafor contacted the Environment Agency, officers arranged to return to the site to conduct a more thorough inspection. During this visit on 1 November 2004, the officers advised Mr Jafor that he would have to make significant improvements if he wanted to continue to dismantle vehicles at the yard.

However, by February 2005 Mr Jafor had failed to apply for a licence prompting a further inspection of his site. During this inspection, officers found 25 cars on the site in the process of being dismantled, but Mr Jafor claimed that all the vehicles on his site were destined for repair or salvage.

However the court heard that this was clearly not the case as a large amount of scrap car parts including shock absorbers, body panels, engines and gearboxes were being kept on the site. There were also a number of waste batteries on the ground and a number of oil spills were evident.

Mr Jafor was issued with an enforcement notice ordering him to remove all the waste within 28 days. But when officers returned to the site in April, they found that although some improvements had been made to the yard there were still a number of waste vehicles being stored at the site.

The court heard how the potential spillage of hazardous pollutants presents a danger to the environment as they can seep into the ground and potentially reach streams and rivers. This can cause severe ecological harm.

Investigating officer Iain Regan said: “We gave Mr Jafor a number of warnings that he was operating illegally and numerous opportunities to get his house in order. Mr Jafor chose to disregard these warnings, showing contempt for the law, the Environment Agency and the environment: he has now paid the price for this in the form of a criminal record and a substantial fine.

“This should be a warning to all illegal end of life vehicle operators that we will work not only to protect the environment but also to ensure legitimate businesses are not unfairly disadvantaged.”

The site was granted an exemption under paragraph 45 of the waste management licensing regulations in May 2005. The exemption only permits the storage and dismantling of depolluted scrap motor vehicles.

Companies can find out about their environmental responsibilities by contacting the Environment Agency on 08708 506 506. Members of the public can report environmental incidents by contacting 0800 80 70 60.