A County Durham man has been jailed for operating an illegal waste site in a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency.
Christopher Williams, 66, of Acton Dene in Stanley, appeared at Newton Aycliffe magistrates’ court for sentencing for breaching the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
He had previously pleaded guilty to two charges of operating a waste site without an environmental permit at Whinfield Industrial Estate in Rowlands Gill, Gateshead.
He was sentenced to 44 weeks in prison, comprising 26 weeks and a further 18 weeks because the conviction placed him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for previous environmental offences.
The court heard that Williams runs an organisation called the LCA Community Charity, which is not a registered charity, from an industrial unit at the site. It advertises as offering help with clothing, furniture, and household donations.
The organisation and the defendant both hold waste carrier licences, which is a legal requirement to be able to transport waste.
On 17 November 2022, Environment Agency officers attended the unit. Outside, they saw a large amount of household waste, including more than 50 fridges and fridge freezers, dismantled furniture, mattresses, sink units and toilet bowls, baths and doors, amongst other general waste.
Most of the waste was mixed together, with some looking like it had been there for a long time. Inside the unit was an office area with some household items for sale.
Inside one of the two sheds on site, waste was piled 12 feet high. Across the site, the illegally stored waste posed a fire-risk, with no separation between piles, meaning if a fire broke out it would spread quickly.
Officers spoke to Williams, and he was requested to remove the waste by 16 January 2023, and in a follow-up letter, he was advised about waste exemptions, which allows for low level waste activity without the need for a permit that could allow him to sort recyclable waste for recovery and operate within the law.
On 17 January 2023, officers returned, only to find there was more waste present, with a noticeable increase in broken wooden furniture. Officers expressed concerns about the fire risk.
In the following months, through March 2023 and into the summer, Environment Agency officers made numerous visits where they saw waste still on site. At one point, Williams said half of the fridges had “gone to Africa.”
Fridges contain refrigerant gases and blown foam insulation, with old fridges classed as hazardous waste, and should be disposed of at a suitably licensed facility.
He also told officers he had no waste transfer notes, which are a legal requirement to trace the movement of waste between one place and another.
Officers explained to Williams that the deadline for clearing the site passed in January 2023.
During a visit in September 2024, officers inspected the site and found it was still operating as an illegal waste facility. Williams claimed to still be busy clearing the site.
— Accurate at time of publication | February 2025
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