Transport firm Fletcher Plant fined for using illegal waste site at Long Bennington

A company that dumped waste at an illegal site the size of a football pitch has been ordered to pay £167,500.

The prosecution followed a major investigation into the site at Fen Lane, Long Bennington, where lorry loads of controlled waste were regularly accepted and waste was burned daily and buried.

Transport firm Fletcher Plant of Clement Street, Sheffield, was fined £80,000, ordered to pay costs of £50,000 and a confiscation order of £37,587 by Nottingham Crown Court on Friday last week (August 8) after it was heard the company delivered more than 1,400 tonnes of shredded waste

Fletcher Plant was found guilty in June 2024 of failing to comply with duty of care regulations for controlled waste between October 1, 2019 and May 1, 2020.

Named Operation Lord, the investigation saw Environment Agency officers spend months building evidence of the illegal waste site.

The findings led to 12 people and one company - Fletcher Plant - being charged.

Following an eight-week trial which concluded on June 28, 2024, those defendants who had not pleaded guilty were found guilty.

So far, 11 people have been sentenced to a total of 14 years' imprisonment for their involvement in the illegal operation.

The judge accepted the company did not know the site was operating illegally, but its officers had a legal requirement to carry out a duty of care.

The company said it had built a good reputation and it was the first time it had been prosecuted in more than 40 years. A new management team had also been put in place.

Peter Stark, enforcement team leader for the Environment Agency, said: “This sentence shows that all businesses involved in the removal of controlled waste must make all reasonable checks to ensure that waste is being dealt with appropriately and not illegally.

“If simple and continued due diligence checks had been made by Fletcher Plant they would have flagged up that the site operators did not have the appropriate authorisations.

“Due diligence checks are not something that should only occur before starting a contract, they should occur regularly during a contract.

“The duty of care in relation to waste is a legal requirement under Environmental Protection Act 1990.

“Anyone who suspects illegal waste activity should report it to our 24-hour hotline on 0800 80 70 60, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”