Company and director fined for burning waste on rural land

A company and its director have been fined for ignoring Environment Agency warnings to stop burning waste on rural land in West Yorkshire.

Bardsey Tree Services Ltd, of Main Road in Wighill, Tadcaster, and company director Andrew Richard Ward, 56, of the same address, appeared at York Magistrates’ Court.

They both pleaded guilty to two offences of burning waste on land near Wetherby on separate occasions between August 2023 and August 2024.

The company was fined £2,500, ordered to pay costs of £3,000 and a victim surcharge of £1,000, while Ward was fined £960, ordered to pay £1,274.50 in costs and a £384 victim surcharge.

Ian Foster, area environment manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said: “Burning waste on land can have a significant impact on the environment and local communities.

“Our officers made it clear to the defendants multiple times that the activity on site was illegal, but this was ignored.

“I hope this sends out a message to others about just how important it is to follow regulations to protect the environment and ensure business aren’t in breach of the law.”

The company, which offers tree services including operating as a tree surgeon, leases land off Compton Lane, a few miles away from Wetherby.

On 10 August 2023 Environment Agency officers attended the site and saw a fire burning, consisting of mixed waste.

Separate and away from the fire was a pile of tree trunks, a large pile of wood chippings and an even larger pile of mixed soil, rubble, wood and metal. No one was present.

The defendants had no registered environmental permit or waste exemption – which allows for low level waste activity.

The Environment Agency wrote to the defendants with instructions to stop bringing in waste and burning, and to clear the site of waste within three months. It was made clear that the activity on site was illegal.

Two months later the company registered a waste exemption for the site, which authorised the burning of certain categories of “green” waste such as tree and plant cuttings, provided that both the waste was produced on the land and any fire does not cause a nuisance.

In July 2024 Environment Agency officers attended and saw a fire burning, producing thick grey smoke. The fire was predominantly green waste but also included plastics, treated wood, metal and aerosol cannisters. No one was present.

Officers wrote a further letter to the defendants making it clear this activity was in breach of the exemption and that offences were being committed.

Later that month officers passing the area saw thick grey smoke coming from the site. This time, in addition was roof felt, which is likely to have been hazardous. The fire service attended and put the blaze out and advised it should not have been left unattended.

Even after flagging this issue with Andrew Ward, another fire was also seen on site on 5 August, 2024.

In interviews, Ward admitted taking waste away from customers to the site, and that wood chippings were provided to biomass power stations.

He said the fires were used as a means of dealing with residual waste, but added that the site had become known as a dumping ground for other operators’ waste.