22-May-2006 - The Environment
Agency has prosecuted the landlord of a West Sussex
pub for burning trade waste and failing to transfer
his waste to an authorised waste carrier which
led to it being illegally flytipped.
Mr Richard Foss, who runs the
Labouring Man Public House at Coldwaltham, Pulborough,
West Sussex appeared at Mid Sussex Magistrates
Court on Friday 12 May 2006. He pleaded guilty
to three offences and was fined a total of £3,000
and ordered to pay costs of £611.44.
The Court heard that on 24 March
2005 two Environment Agency Officers investigated
a flytipping incident at Hurlands Farm in Selham,
West Sussex. On arrival they found a big pile
of waste that contained over 100 glass bottles,
kitchen and food waste, till rolls for alcoholic
beverages, football cards and other sundry pub
wastes.
Amongst the dumped material
there were two items of correspondence that led
the Officers to believe the material had originated
from the Labouring Man Public House at Coldwaltham,
Pulborough.
The Officers visited the pub
and interviewed the landlord, Mr Foss, who said
that the pub had no arrangements for the disposal
of waste at that time. Mr Foss said that he was
currently giving his waste to anyone who had a
van.
When Mr Foss was asked how the
material came to be dumped in the field he said
he did not know.
On 1 November 2005, Environment
Agency Officers returned to the Labouring Man
pub to investigate further the burning waste from
the pub and saw a metal furnace that was full
of ash and it had evidently been used as a small
incinerator.
The Environment Agency Officers
were told that the furnace had been used for the
burning of cardboard from the pub. This cardboard
is classified as trade waste and must be disposed
of appropriately, as burning of waste on site
was not permitted.
Commenting on the case, Area
Environment Management Officer Paul Newman said:
"This case demonstrates what happens when
a business fails in their legal duty of care requirement
to ensure that their waste is collected by a Registered
Waste Carrier and disposed of to a licensed waste
management facility. A waste transfer note is
also required for that consignment of waste.
"We take the environmental
crime of flytipping extremely seriously and we
are appealing for any further information about
the person who actually flytipped the waste. People
are invited to contact the Environment Agency
hotline in confidence with any information on
0800 807060."
