Powys Company and Director Fined £69,000 for Environmental Breaches

Strategic Insights -

A Powys company, Benji and Co Limited, and its director, Peter Rees, have been ordered to pay £69,000 in fines and costs for serious breaches of environmental regulations. The company appeared at Welshpool Magistrates' Court after illegally dumping tyres at several sites in the region. The court heard that between January and June 2022, the company operated a waste site without the required environmental permit at Gwern Tyddyn, storing and treating tyres unlawfully. Between March and December 2022, baled tyres were dumped on land at several sites without a valid permit, breaching environmental regulations.

Key Takeaways:

  • Benji and Co Limited was fined £10,000 for each of four offences, totaling £40,000, for operating a waste site without a valid environmental permit and storing and treating tyres unlawfully.
  • The company was ordered to pay £15,000 in prosecution costs.
  • Peter Rees, the director of Benji and Co Limited, was fined £10,000 for his role in the offences and was required to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge.
  • The court heard that the company gained financially by avoiding the costs of proper waste management, including permit fees and compliance with safety standards.
  • Natural Resources Wales (NRW) officers found vast quantities of used tyres stored in unsafe conditions and far beyond the legal limits allowed under waste exemptions.
  • The sites posed a significant fire risk, and NRW said the company failed to bring the site into compliance despite repeated visits and advice dating back to 2018.

Statistics:

  • More than 200 tyre bales were found on the site.
  • Over 1,000 loose tyres were found on the site.
  • An estimated 40 tonnes of shredded tyre waste were found on the site.
  • The company was fined $40,000 (not specified what currency, stated as pounds).
  • Peter Rees was fined $10,000.
  • The company and Rees were required to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge each.

Sources:

  • Welshpool Magistrates' Court
  • Natural Resources Wales (NRW)