Natural Resources Wales | Two men have been sentenced for illegally dumping waste on farmland in Cardiff following a successful prosecution by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Kyle Gordon Mason and John Brian Janes were sentenced at Newport Crown Court after pleading guilty to waste offences.

Mr. Mason, 46 from Dickens Avenue, Llanrumney, Cardiff, was sentenced to 14 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £200 in costs to NRW, and an undisclosed victim surcharge.

Mr. Janes, 52 from New Road, Rumney, Cardiff, was sentenced at an earlier hearing and ordered to pay a fine of £500, £750 in costs to NRW, and a victim surcharge of £200.

In 2021, NRW started an investigation following the dumping of mixed household, building and green waste in three fields near the St Mellons Business Park in Cardiff. Some of this land is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Multiple van loads were found in three fields owned by three different landowners, and evidence relating to both defendants and the businesses Mr. Mason was director of was found in the waste.

The investigation continued into 2022. Surveillance footage was obtained by Liberton Investigations on 10 June 2022 showing a transit flatbed vehicle with number plates removed drive into one of the fields carrying what appeared to be waste and leave empty.

Mr. Mason and Mr. Janes were interviewed during the investigation but denied the waste offences. However, due to the evidence collected against them, they later pleaded guilty in court.

Mr. Mason pleaded guilty to dumping five van loads of waste in these fields and Mr. Janes pleaded guilty to dumping a bag of household waste.

Natural Resources Wales | A company responsible for polluting Llanishen Brook and Roath Park Lake in Cardiff has agreed to donate £150,000 to a local environmental charity, following an enforcement undertaking secured by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

The payment by Erith Contractors Ltd to the South East Wales Rivers Trust will support the delivery of projects aimed at conservation and restoration of river habitats across South Wales.

The case began when a member of the public reported foul-smelling grey water in Llanishen Brook to NRW on 28 September 2023.

NRW’s officers investigated and traced the source of the pollution to groundwork taking place at the former HMRC tax office site as part of preparations to demolish high-rise buildings.

A demolition crew had damaged a main sewer line, causing raw sewage to discharge into a tributary of Llanishen Brook, which ended up in Roath Park Lake.

Working closely with staff from Erith Contractors Ltd and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, NRW officers ensured that the damaged sewer was repaired and the pollution contained later that same day.

As part of the enforcement undertaking, Erith Contractors Ltd accepted full responsibility for the incident and committed to funding local environmental improvements through South East Wales Rivers Trust.

Following the incident, NRW continues to monitor and assess the brook and lake for any long-term environmental impacts. NRW has also advised Erith Contractors Ltd to take extra precautions during future work to avoid similar incidents.

An enforcement undertaking is a form of civil sanction available to NRW under the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008. It allows companies to make amends for environmental offences by contributing to projects that directly benefit the environment.

Natural Resources Wales | A farmer has been ordered to pay more than £4,000 in fines and costs after a pollution incident near Abergavenny led to soil and silt being discharged into two small watercourses.

Jamie Langford, of J M Langford and Son, based in Herefordshire, pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Newport Magistrates’ Court to an offence under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

The successful prosecution by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) resulted in Mr. Langford being fined £375 and ordered to pay £3,603.50 in costs to NRW, and a victim surcharge of £150. The level of fine for environmental offences is set by the courts and is based on the level of harm, culpability, and the financial means of the defendants.

The case followed an investigation by NRW officers into a pollution incident that occurred on 12 June 2023, when intense rainfall caused soil runoff from two potato fields being rented and cultivated by J M Langford and Son near Abergavenny.

The heavy downpour washed soil and silt from the recently planted fields into two nearby watercourses, one a tributary of the Mynachdy Brook and the other a tributary of the Nant Gavenny.

The runoff also caused extensive damage to a neighbouring property, including The Copper Kettle Café and adjoining dwellings. That element of the incident is being dealt with separately by insurers.

The court heard that the layout of the potato planting furrows, running directly up and down the slope, allowed rainwater to channel freely down the fields, picking up large volumes of soil.

NRW officers found that better land management, including wider buffer strips or alternative planting patterns, could have significantly reduced the risk of runoff and pollution.

Mr. Langford was sentenced for a Category 3 offence under sentencing guidelines. The judge took into account his good character, lack of previous convictions and the fact there was no financial gain. The court also noted that Mr. Langford was considered an expert farmer and had not been negligent in his actions.

HSE | A defence technology company was fined £800,000 after an employee was shot during ammunition testing at MoD Pendine ranges.

On 25 March 2021, a QinetiQ Limited employee was paralysed by a 5.56 mm bullet during a NATO quality assurance trial due to inadequate risk assessment and failure to ensure no one was near the target. QinetiQ pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £800,000 plus £8,365 costs.

HSE | A renovation company in South Wales has been sentenced after defying enforcement notices from HSE.

Greenlife Property Developments Ltd carried out unsafe excavation work in a 2.5 m deep trench without securing the sides, risk assessment, or site barriers. HSE served a Prohibition Notice and two Improvement Notices, which the company breached by continuing work and failing to implement safe systems.

In January 2025, the company was found guilty of breaching Sections 33(1)(c) and 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £5,812.57 in costs.

“Every year people are killed or seriously injured by collapsing and falling materials while working in excavations… The fine imposed should highlight to everyone in the construction industry that courts and HSE take failure to comply with enforcement notices extremely seriously.”

— HSE inspector Rachael Newman

William Hanson (Hanson Paving and Development Ltd) was fined £1,173 plus £4,140 costs and £469 surcharge for storing mixed and hardcore waste without a permit at 115 Nash Road, Caerleon, and failing to comply with a removal notice. Illegal waste included soil, stones, bricks, wood, plastic, and tyres; waste remained after an April 2023 notice.

Consolidated Login

Comprehensive Login