Birmingham company fined £18k for failing to clear huge pile of waste

A Birmingham property company has been fined £18,465 for failing to clear 4,000 tonnes of waste from land it had purchased.

B46 Properties Limited had bought land on Brickyard Farm in Fradley, Staffordshire.

A waste company was storing general waste on the site at the time.

When the waste operator went into liquidation and left the site, the property company became responsible for clearing the waste.

The waste should have been cleared by December 2023.

The property company, of Stechford, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the order.

The site was storing general waste, including, bricks, trommel fines, wood, construction and green waste.

The court imposed a fine of £806, with a victim surcharge of £322 and costs of £17,337.56. This totals £18,465.56.

Company director Gary Hambleton informed the Environment Agency that the waste was being cleared as and when funds were available but that the company would not borrow money or go into overdraft.

A charge against him was dropped.

Imogen Smith from the Environment Agency said that the sentence should "act as a deterrent to others considering flouting the law".

She said: “We welcome this sentence, which should act as a deterrent to others considering flouting the law.  

“This site posed a significant environmental threat due to the high risk of fire and potentially significant impact to local communities and amenities. 

“The Environment Agency will pursue any company that fails to uphold the law or protect nature and will continue to press for the strongest possible penalties. 

“Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment and harm human health.    

“If anyone has environmental concerns they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers anonymously and in confidence on 0800 555 111.”