BBC News | A former waste site director has been sentenced after being found guilty of multiple offences relating to illegal practices that led to a major fire in Lancaster.

The blaze at Supa Skips in December 2023, caused by abandoned waste, resulted in clean-up costs exceeding £2 million, the Environment Agency (EA) confirmed.

Thousands of tonnes of combustible waste were stored illegally, far exceeding the 500-tonne, seven-day limit allowed under the site’s environmental permit, Preston Crown Court heard. Despite a suspension notice, operations at the Lune Industrial Estate site continued.

Oliver Kirkbride, 38, of Whitehaven, Cumbria, received a 16-month suspended sentence and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

The EA said the site’s permit was suspended in February 2022 due to fire risks. However, waste continued to be imported until April 2022, and under a second company until October 2022. The permit was fully revoked in November 2022.

Between September 2021 and October 2022, Kirkbride was found to have deliberately breached permit limits, operated unlicensed waste sites, failed to comply with enforcement notices, and deposited waste without proper authorisations. Additional offences included storing waste unlawfully and using an unpermitted unit.

Following sentencing, an EA spokesperson said Kirkbride “repeatedly and deliberately ignored” enforcement action. His actions led to a major fire that “ultimately caused weeks of harm and disruption to local residents and businesses,” the spokesperson added.

Security Industry Authority | A man, Martin McAuley, has been convicted of fraud in his absence after working using a cloned SIA licence and ordered to pay fines and levies equalling £515.

Mr. McAuley was convicted of fraud by false representation and possession of an article used in fraud in Coleraine Magistrates’ Court. He was convicted in his absence on the information available to the court.

This came after he first failed to attend a court hearing for the same offences on 4 July 2025 and the case was adjourned. At this point the court warned that should Mr. McAuley fail to attend on this date, the matter would be dealt with in his absence.

The court fined him £250 for each offence, as well as ordering him to pay an offender levy of £15, totalling £515. Mr. McCauley now has 20 weeks to pay off the full amount of £515.

This prosecution came after Mr. McAuley was found working as a door supervisor and in possession of a cloned SIA licence at The Railway Arms, Coleraine, by an SIA investigations officer on 5 May 2023.

Environment Agency | A transport company will pay a total of £167,587.13 for delivering controlled waste to an illegal site at Fen Lane, Long Bennington, Lincolnshire.

The sentence imposed on Fletcher Plant Limited of Clement Street, Sheffield, is the latest result from a major investigation by the Environment Agency.

At Nottingham Crown Court, the company was fined £80,000, ordered to pay costs of £50,000 and a confiscation order of £37,587.13 for its breach of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.

The company had previously been found guilty in June 2024 after a trial of failing to comply with duty of care regulations for controlled waste between 1 October 2019 and 1 May 2020.

Named ‘Operation Lord’, the investigation saw Environment Agency officers spend months building evidence of the illegal waste site.

The findings led to 12 people and one company, Fletcher Plant, being charged, of which 10 pleaded guilty.

Following an eight-week trial, the remaining three defendants were found guilty.

So far, 11 people have been sentenced to a total of 14 years’ imprisonment for their involvement in this illegal operation.

The court was told that intelligence gathered, revealed lorry-loads of shredded waste were regularly being accepted onto the site the size of a football pitch.

It was calculated that Fletcher Plant, over a period of six months, organised the transport of over 1,400 tonnes of controlled waste.

The judge accepted that the company did not know the site was operating illegally, but its officers had a legal requirement to carry out a duty of care.

The company said it had built a good reputation, and it was the first time it had been prosecuted in over 40 years. A new management team has also been put in place.

HSE | A County Durham waste management company has been fined after a young employee was run over by an excavator.

Farm XS (Northern) Limited, based in Barnard Castle, was sentenced after an incident on 29 January 2024 that left the 24-year-old with serious injuries.

The employee was only in his second week of employment at the Staindrop Road site when he was struck from behind by an excavator and run over. He suffered fractures to both feet.

The HSE found that the company had failed to ensure a safe system of work was in place. The 24-year-old was working on a waste pile near moving vehicles with no physical separation between them. There was no risk assessment or system of work to protect pedestrians from vehicle movements.

Farm XS (Northern) Limited, Shaw Bank, Staindrop Road, Barnard Castle, County Durham, DL12 8TD pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £4,285 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Richard McMullen said: “The outcome could have been much worse. But the failures that day meant a worker received serious injuries.

“This incident was easily avoidable by implementing control measures and safe practices to ensure that workers were not put at risk from moving vehicles, including clear segregation and safe refuges.

“This should be a reminder to the waste industry of the need to consider workplace transport risks and to introduce appropriate control measures to separate vehicles and pedestrians.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan and paralegal officer Helen Jacob.

HSE | A Manchester-based construction company has been fined after workers were put at risk of exposure to asbestos.

A1 Property Maintenance Management Limited was acting as the principal contractor during work at the former Unicorn Public House on Liverpool Road, Eccles, Greater Manchester.

During a routine inspection to the site on 16 May 2022, a HSE inspector discovered that 12 square metres of asbestos insulation board (AIB) had been present in a dumb waiter lift shaft – but had already been illegally removed by unknown individuals. This led to the inspector issuing a prohibition notice stopping all work on site until an asbestos survey had been completed.

Previously, after noticing the pub door had been broken into, a site worker had entered the building, where they discovered what appeared to be asbestos debris in the area around the lift shaft. The debris was later wrapped and removed by a licensed asbestos removal contractor.

However, A1 Property Maintenance Management Limited failed to carry out a full asbestos survey to confirm that all asbestos-containing materials had been removed before allowing further construction work to take place.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(6) of The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. It was fined £5,360 and ordered to pay £5,117 in costs at a hearing at Tameside Magistrates’ Court on 30 July 2025.

Speaking after the hearing, a HSE spokesperson said: “This was a serious incident and put those working in the building at risk of being exposed to the harmful effects of asbestos.

“Duty holders are reminded of the need to review without delay an asbestos assessment if there has been a significant change in the premises to which the assessment relates.”

The prosecution was supported by HSE enforcement lawyer Sam Crockett and paralegal Hannah Snelling.

HSE | A worker suffered serious injuries after falling from a flat roof that did not have any edge protection.

It was the second time Gary Smith, trading as GJ Smith Roofing, had failed to provide edge protection on a job, with HSE previously taking enforcement action against him.

Smith pleaded guilty following the incident on 15 December 2022, when a team of roofers and labourers were working on his behalf, replacing a flat roof on a house in the Luton area.

At around 11am, one of the workers was carrying large wooden boards across the roof, when he inadvertently stepped off the edge of the roof falling a distance of about 10 feet. He suffered a fractured vertebrate in his back and a broken ankle.

The HSE investigation found the task had not been properly risk assessed and planned which meant that edge protection around the flat roof had not been put in place, despite it being reasonably practicable to do so. Following HSE intervention, edge protection was installed before work re-commenced.

Gary Smith of Watling Street, Dunstable, pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 4(1) of the Work At Height Regulations 2005. He was fined £2,125 and ordered to pay costs of £5,445.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Tim Nicholson said: “Clearly Mr Smith hadn’t learnt from his previous failures. Sadly, this latest offence resulted in a man being seriously injured.

“What makes this incident even more frustrating is the fact it could so easily have been avoided by properly planning the task and ensuring that suitable edge protection had been put in place prior to work starting.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Julian Ward and paralegal officer Helen Hugo.

Attorney General’s Office | A bus driver who killed a nine-year-old girl after falling asleep at the wheel under the influence of drugs has had his sentence increased following the Solicitor General’s intervention.

Martin Asolo-Ogugua (23), from Peckham, South London, had his sentence increased by two years and eight months after the Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP referred the case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The court heard that on the morning of 3 August 2024, Asolo-Ogugua was driving a bus in Bexleyheath before falling asleep at the wheel.

The bus drifted across the carriageway and mounted the pavement as Ada Bicakci was riding her bike with her family.

Ada’s family managed to jump to safety, suffering only superficial wounds, but Ada was left with catastrophic injuries. Ada was taken to hospital but sadly died two days later.

Asolo-Ogugua failed a drug test at the scene, having taken cannabis the night before.

CCTV inside the bus showed Asolo-Ogugua yawning, opening the window for fresh air, and appearing to close his eyes frequently.

In a Victim Personal Statement, Ada’s parents said Ada was a beautiful child with a huge, kind heart, who loved to help those in need.

The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said: “Martin Asolo-Oguagua’s selfishness needlessly took the life of a young girl, causing irreparable damage to a family. I welcome the court’s decision to increase his sentence and would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Ada’s family.”

Martin Asolo-Ogugua was sentenced for four years’ imprisonment for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving when over the prescribed limit on 9 June 2025.

On 6 August 2025, his sentence was increased to six years and eight months after it was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

HSE | A conservatory manufacturer and installation company has been fined £40,000 after an employee fell through the roof of a first-floor orangery home extension.

Leslie Baker was one of several employees of Atrium Conservatories Limited, working to install an orangery extension covering the footprint of a former first-floor balcony at a house in Abberley, Worcestershire on 9 February 2024.

While working on the roof trusses, Mr Baker, who was 56 at the time, stepped onto an unguarded opening for a future skylight, resulting in him falling approximately two metres to the floor below. He sustained a serious head injury, several broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and kidney damage. He remained intubated in hospital for approximately two weeks before surgery could be attempted.

The long-term impact on Mr Baker has been profound both physically, as his mobility has been affected long term, and mentally as he has since been diagnosed with PTSD.

Investigating, the HSE found that no external scaffold had been put into place around the perimeter of the extension to provide safe access or prevent falls to the ground below. Additionally, there were no measures in place internally to prevent falls into the extension.

Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height and managing construction activities.

The HSE investigation also found that Atrium Conservatories Limited had failed to properly plan the work and to provide its workers with suitable instructions for carrying out their duties safely.

Atrium Conservatories Limited of Kington, Herefordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £5,309 in costs.

HSE Inspector Jo Quigley said “Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death.

“This incident could have easily had fatal consequence and it highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks for all work at height activities. Suitable control measures, such as internal crash deck, should also be implemented to minimise the risk of serious personal injury.

“Every company that carries out building alterations must understand they are undertaking construction work; and therefore ensure they put in place suitable control and management measures throughout the duration of the work to the same standards as the wider construction industry.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Julian White and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

Environment Agency | East Midlands Airport Ltd has been prosecuted for allowing discharges of drainage water containing aircraft and runway de-icing fluid.

At Derby Crown Court, the company was fined £892,500 for three offences of breaching environmental permits for the airport site near Nottingham, contrary to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. They were also ordered to pay costs of £65,687.54.

The court was told that the offences had occurred between 14 January 2022 and 4 February 2022.

The airport’s operation potentially causes water pollution through the discharge of surface water drainage containing residues of de-icing fluid from aircraft and runways.

The discharge must therefore meet quality limits as set out in the airport’s environment permit. These limits are calculated to protect the environment.

Any failure to meet these limits is therefore likely to have a chronic impact on the watercourse and result in a deterioration in water quality.

The airport’s environmental permit allows a discharge of site drainage containing a maximum level of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of 15 mg/l.

BOD is a measure of the amount of oxygen consumed by aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic matter in a water sample and is indicative of the level of organic pollution.

However, an investigation by Environment Agency officers found that the company had significantly breached this limit on three separate occasions.

In mitigation, the company, which changed management in 2022, said it had actively engaged with the Environment Agency to improve the situation.

The court was told that the company has a poor history of permit compliance.

Prior to this case there have been 13 separate permit breaches at East Midlands Airport since 2006, resulting in 10 written warnings.

BBC News | Dragon Wood Homes Ltd and its director, Paul Whyman were served an enforcement notice in relation to Cliff House in Chevalier Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk in 2017.

In 2018, “multiple serious deficiencies” were identified, with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) investigators ruling there was a risk of rapid fire spreading throughout the building.

At Ipswich Crown Court, Whyman was given a 12-month community order, requiring him to complete 180 hours of unpaid work, while the company was fined £40,000.

Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for public health and public protection, said the court’s decision sent “a clear message”.

“We will not tolerate developers or property owners who ignore their legal responsibilities and put people’s lives at risk,” he said.

Both Whyman, 54, and the firm were also ordered to pay £15,000 each in legal costs within 12 months by judge David Pugh.

They were sentenced after previously pleading guilty to failing to comply with a fire enforcement notice issued by SFRS.

Cliff House, previously a hotel, was converted into a six-storey block of 26 apartments in 2017, but the conversion did not meet the required fire safety standards.

The court heard how Whyman and the company had repeated opportunities to rectify the issues, but they failed to undertake the necessary work.

“While we are pleased that justice has been served, it is deeply regrettable that it took this level of enforcement to reach a resolution,” added Mr Wiles.

“Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has acted with patience and professionalism throughout this lengthy process, always with the safety of residents at the heart of their actions,” he added.

The enforcement notice remains in force and fire safety deficiencies continue to affect the premises.

A fire service spokesperson said: “SFRS remains committed to protecting the public will continue to support residents of Cliff House while monitoring the ongoing safety concerns at the premises.”

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