Man fined for waste offence

A Whitland man has been prosecuted by the courts for a waste offence.

Silas James Lee, aged 35, of Westover Caravan Site, pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that Lee had failed to ensure he had a written description of the waste he was carrying and had failed to produce waste transfer notes as required by law to the council’s environmental enforcement officers. He had also provided transfer notes with false or incomplete information.

In mitigation, the court was told that Lee could not read or write and this was part of the reason why he had failed to comply with the law, and why he had given misleading information to the officers.

The magistrates were also told Lee was not now working and was in receipt of incapacity benefit. As a result he was fined £200 and ordered to pay £250 towards prosecution costs.

The council hopes this case will act as a warning to other businesses and help prevent the illegal transport of waste which can result in fly-tipping.

Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Philip Hughes said: “All businesses that carry waste, including scrap merchants, skip companies, builders and gardeners, must have a waste carriers licence. They must also make sure they have the correct paperwork for all the waste they carry and only use licensed waste sites to dispose of their rubbish.

“Hopefully this fine will help to get the message across that anyone caught illegally transporting waste will be prosecuted through the courts where the maximum penalty is £5,000.”

The council’s environmental enforcement officers are working in partnership with the police and other agencies as part of Operation Beagle, a joint operation targeting illegal waste carriers and scrap metal thieves in Carmarthenshire.