Environment Agency
Peter Snailum, 64, from Whitworth, Spennymoor, appeared at Durham crown court for sentencing on Wednesday 16 October after previously pleading guilty to two offences of depositing waste without an environmental permit.
He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete 90 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard that between January and March 2020, excavation waste was transported from a construction site in Consett to Snailums land at School House Farm, Kiln Pit Hill, and illegally dumped.
Snailum had a registered waste exemption for his land at School House Farm. This means that low level waste activity could take place at the site for construction purposes, with limits on the amount and type of waste allowed.
During the Environment Agency investigation, it transpired that more than 5,000 tonnes of waste had been dumped at School House Farm five times the 1,000 tonnes allowed under the exemption.
It was also clear that the waste was not to be used for construction but in an attempt to level land, activity that would require an environmental permit.
In passing sentence, judge Joanne Kidd criticised Snailum for his arrogance, after hearing that he had twice taunted the Environment Agency officers speaking with him about the illegal activity, saying that they should prosecute him as he would only receive a fine.
The judge was also critical of his insistence on initially denying the charges and taking the case to the crown court, all in the face of overwhelming evidence.
Warned he was breaching the law
Gary Wallace, area environment manager for the Environment Agency in the North East, said:
Waste crime such as this has a negative impact on the environment and local communities and Snailum was warned he was breaching the law.
His actions also undermined legitimate businesses as he made financial gains by not properly and legally disposing of the waste.
I hope this case sends out the message to others that we take waste crime seriously and those involved can expect to be put before the courts for their actions.
Prosecuting, Holly Clegg told the court that in January 2020, Environment Agency officers attended the site in response to reports of wagons tipping waste there.
Checks showed metal and timber mixed with soils and stone. It was estimated the stockpile was close to the 1,000 tonne exemption limit and Snailum was told to stop accepting further waste to the site.
He said he was importing soils to level around the trees and filling in hollows around the site he was told the exemption restrictions meant it could only be used for construction.
While the officers were there a wagon arrived which was moving waste from a construction site in Consett to Snailums land.
The officers then visited a care home construction site and spoke to the site manager, who told them that to date 871 tonnes had been taken to School House Farm.
Follow up visits revealed further deposits
A month later follow up visits to both the construction site and School House Farm revealed further deposits had taken place which would exceed the limits of the exemption. On 2 March, Snailum was instructed to cease accepting further waste.
Environment Agency officers were later supplied with and assessed the waste transfer documentation, which showed more than 5,000 tonnes of waste soil and stone had been taken to School House Farm between January and March 2020.
Then, in early 2021 Snailum allowed another large deposit of waste, this time tonnes of supposedly crushed MDF but this was contaminated with various other waste types.
Previously sentenced at Peterlee magistrates court on 23 April 2024 for their part in the case were:
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Jonathan Mann Developments, of Sandhu House, Delves Lane, Consett, which owned land there that was being developed for the construction of new care homes. It pleaded guilty for its involvement in the illegal waste deposits and were ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling 3,832.
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Groundworks Direct Ltd excavated and loaded the waste material from the construction site onto wagons supplied by the hauliers. It was ordered to pay a fine and costs of 5,000 in total.
In addition, G OBrien & Sons Ltd, which collected the waste material and transported it to Snailums land, agreed to an enforcement undertaking, paying 5,000 to Durham Wildlife Trust to go towards environmental improvements, and