In a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency, Martin Booker, 60, from Brotton, has been ordered to clear illegally dumped waste from a site near Saltburn.
Booker operated an illegal waste site on unregistered land, burned the waste, and ignored repeated warnings from the Environment Agency to cease his activities.
Booker appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court last month, where he changed his plea to guilty for three offences of operating a waste site without an environmental permit. The land, located at the end of Gladstone Street in Brotton, is next to council-owned allotments and lacks the necessary permits required by law to manage waste operations.
Booker was fined £648 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £259. Additionally, a remediation order has been made, requiring him to clear the site of all waste. Failure to comply could result in further legal action.
Gary Wallace, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency, stated, “Environmental permits are in place to protect the public and environment. Booker largely ignored warnings to stop his activities and clear the waste from the site, showing a disregard for the law.”
Wallace highlighted that illegal activities undermine legitimate businesses and put the environment and local community at risk.
An Environment Agency officer visited the site in February 2022, finding waste including scrap electricals like fridges and washing machines, shopping trolleys, and scrap vehicle parts, with clear signs of burning. Booker was instructed to cease all activity and clear the site.
By May 2022, most of the waste had been cleared, but Booker resumed illegal waste activities. By October, waste was again strewn across the site, including items such as a pram, a three-piece suite, and a TV. Despite further warnings, by January 2023, the site was still full of waste with evidence of burning.
During a May 2023 interview, Booker claimed he had brought rubble to the land for development and that others had fly-tipped on his plot, which he cleared by putting it in residents’ bins or throwing it into the allotments. He denied responsibility for disposing of and burning waste. However, evidence from the council showed he was seen in a scrap van in Saltburn in October 2023.
A final visit in March 2024 found waste still present on the site with signs of burning.
Cllr Adam Brook, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, praised the collaborative efforts of the Environment Agency and partner agencies in protecting the public. He supported the decision to prosecute, stressing the need to enforce laws that protect residents, businesses, and the environment.
