The sole Director of a rubber and waste tyre treatment company has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison and seen the company fined £10,000 for waste offences.

Brian Wade, Director of Portsmouth-based firm Southern Rubber Products Ltd, appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on Monday (12 May) to answer to waste crime charges.

The court heard that although Southern Rubber Products Limited had a number of permit exemptions (allowing certain waste activities to take place on-site without the need for a permit), the number of waste tyres that the company was depositing and storing went beyond the exemptions, amounting to illegal waste activity.

Specifically, Environment Agency (EA) officers reported that when inspecting the site on 29 August 2013, there were approximately 780 tonnes of waste tyres held on-site, despite the company having vacated the premises.

The landlord was left to clear the site of waste tyres, which reportedly cost £24,959.

On being interviewed by EA officer, Wade admitted that he was the sole Director of the company and that he was responsible for depositing the tyres on site. He stated that there were issues in getting rid of the tyres, that the landlord wanted him off the premises and that he had health problems.

At the hearing on Monday, Wade pleaded guilty to breaching waste law, and was sentenced to eight weeks imprisonment (suspended for 12 months), in addition to a curfew order to remain indoors between 7pm and 6am (electronic tag) plus an £80 victim surcharge.

Southern Rubber Products Ltd was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay the £3,511 costs claimed.

'The net is closing in on people who think they can make easy money undercutting legitimate waste businesses'

The Magistrates presiding over the case stated that the prison sentence was reached ‘due to a number of aggravating factors including the offences being a deliberate act over a long period of time’.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Kirsty Mayo of the Environment Agency said: “It is very disappointing that Mr Wade continued to deliberately operate an illegal site despite having an understanding of his responsibilities. He was registered with us for some exemptions, so he had little excuse in claiming he was unaware his waste obligations.

“The net is closing in on people who think they can make easy money undercutting legitimate waste businesses by putting the local environment at risk. We are constantly gathering information on illegal waste sites, criminal activities and environmental crime in Hampshire and across the south east.

“We are taking a zero tolerance approach against offenders. In cases like this where individuals consistently operate illegally, we have absolutely no hesitation in prosecuting them as we want to make sure that waste crime doesn’t pay.”

Find out more about how the Environment Agency cracks down on waste crime.