A fly-tipping gang who made £500,000 by charging residents to use a secret illegal landfill that exposed residents to toxic fumes has been jailed.
Trucks full of shredded waste were “regularly” transported to a site in Long Bennington, Lincolnshire, where they were burned and buried daily.
An estimated 11,000 tonnes were deposited over seven months in an area the size of a football pitch, generating around £500,000 for the group.
Officials believe the clean-up operation will cost a staggering £1.2 million.
Environment Agency officers spent months gathering information about the site and eventually carried out a raid in April 2020 alongside Lincolnshire Police.
A gang has been jailed for illegally dumping tonnes of rubbish in a field in Lincolnshire and exposing residents to toxic fumes
An estimated 11,000 tonnes were deposited over seven months in an area the size of a football pitch, generating around £500,000 for the group
At the time of the raid, an excavator and a truck were actively dumping more waste at the site, leading to two arrests.
A total of 12 people and one company were charged with either knowingly causing the operation of an illegal waste landfill or knowingly causing waste to be dumped.
Ten pleaded guilty and the remaining three defendants were found guilty after an eight-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
During sentencing on October 18, the gang was sentenced to a collective 11 years in prison.
Judge Coupland said the crime had caused damage of the “highest order” and condemned the defendants for putting residents at risk from toxic fumes.
He found that the offenses had been “deliberately concealed” through the use of forged documents and said their repeated nature, combined with the financial benefits obtained, constituted aggravating factors.
Leigh Edlin, regional director for Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, said: “This was a serious illegal dumping site that was well organized and involved a number of criminals.
“Those involved wanted to profit from Covid restrictions at the expense of the environment and inflict suffering on the local community.
“The site and its operators have had a major impact on legitimate businesses and our regulatory work.
“Our enforcement teams will continue to tackle serious illegal waste crime, working with partners such as Lincolnshire Police, Fire and Rescue Service and councils, as we have done in this case, to hold those responsible to account.”
The Canner family trio – father Paul (53), mother Judith (55) and son Joshua (29), who ran an illegal waste dump, were sentenced to 26, 16 and 16 months respectively.
Sonia Surpal (52) and Luke Woodward (37), who admitted dumping waste at the site, were sentenced to 13 and 11 months in prison.
Peter Wainwright (32) and Nathan Jones (43) were jailed for 16 months for disposing of waste at the site.
Marcus Chapman (39) and Daniel Lippitt (55) were sentenced to 12 and nine months in prison – both suspended for 18 months.
Landowners James Baggaley (38) and Marc Greenfield (46), who “knowingly permitted the operation of an illegal waste dump”, will be sentenced on December 16.
Robert Malone, 41, and Fletcher Plant Limited, who were found guilty of failing to comply with their duty of care, will be sentenced at a later date.