Director told to pay almost £7,000 after dumping waste and contaminating ground near Market Drayton
A man who contaminated land near Market Drayton by dumping thousands of tonnes of waste dust into a pit has been ordered to pay almost £7,000.
Keith Wilson, 43, admitted breaking environmental permitting regulations after 2,500 cubic metres of miscanthus dust was dumped in a large pit at Old Springs Farm, near Market Drayton, in 2016.
The environment officers who visited the farm in the course of their investigation said it was the largest burial of farm waste they had seen in over 20 years.
If the dust had been left to decompose, it could have polluted nearby groundwater, the Environment Agency said.
In addition, the area is designated as a Nitrogen Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) indicating that the environment is particularly vulnerable to excessive organic deposits.
The miscanthus dust was a by-product of chopping miscanthus, a type of grass, for use or sale as poultry and equine bedding.
The dust was created away from the field after harvesting and within farm buildings when the grass was chopped up.
Wilson appeared at Telford Magistrates Court last Thursday, having pleaded guilty in November to one charge of contravening the requirements of an environmental permit between April and May 2016.
During a pre-trial review on November 13 at Cannock Magistrates Court, Wilson pleaded guilty to dumping waste without an environmental permit.
Magistrates heard evidence from the Environment Agency and fined Wilson £800. He was also ordered to pay costs of £6,000 and a victim surcharge of £85.
Wilson is a director of International Energy Crops (IEC), which is based at the farm, less than two miles from Market Drayton.
