Devon man Christopher Garrett was jailed for 32 months on 14 July after he dumped 1000’s of tonnes of waste, together with asbestos, on land by his dwelling, in a floodplain close to Kingsteignton in Devon. He was additionally ordered to pay a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation sum of over £200,000, because the Surroundings Company reported.
Garrett is regarded as the worst offender the EA has seen in Devon and Cornwall for the amount of asbestos he illegally disposed of.
Exeter Crown Court docket heard that Garrett, aged 64, of Little Lindridge Cottage, Kingsteignton, repeatedly imported waste onto his land, regardless of being prosecuted beforehand and receiving a number of warnings from the Surroundings Company.
Following the 14 July listening to he was sentenced to a complete of 32 months in jail, of which he’ll serve half, after pleading responsible to fees of operating a waste facility with out a allow, and for disposing of waste materials, specifically asbestos, in a fashion prone to hurt the setting or human well being.
The Court docket heard that between July 2018 and Could 2022 round 12,000 tonnes of managed waste – combined building and demolition waste – was deposited on land designated as a floodplain at Garrett’s dwelling, alongside the A380 twin carriageway. He burnt a few of it and buried massive portions of Asbestos Containing Supplies (ACM), posing a danger to the setting and to human well being.
The investigation established that Garrett had obtained a whole lot of 1000’s of kilos for the unlawful tipping and that it will price no less than £2.5M to remediate the location. His mixed monetary profit from the offending was put at £2.88M, together with the remediation prices. He was ordered to pay again the worth of his out there property of £200,885.
In 2016 Garrett had obtained a two-year suspended jail sentence for permitting asbestos waste to be disposed on the website with out a allow, however in 2019, the Surroundings Company heard that he was once more importing waste to his land.
Regardless of a number of warnings and an enforcement discover, Garrett ignored all directions to cease his unlawful actions. Officers visited the location a number of instances, together with on one event with a police escort due the hostile nature of the defendant in the direction of Surroundings Company workers.
Garrett was prosecuted in early 2022 for an offence below the Public Order Act for his behaviour in the direction of Surroundings Company officers.
The Surroundings Company then carried out a surveillance operation to determine the true scale of his unlawful actions.
In Could 2022 a warrant was obtained permitting a search of Garrett’s property and in depth website investigations utilizing heavy equipment. Luggage containing asbestos have been discovered buried within the floor and the location was riddled with smaller fragments of this hazardous waste. Information and paperwork obtained by Enforcement Officers established that Garrett had imported waste to his land in the course of the interval of his suspended sentence, and that he had made 1000’s of kilos from his unlawful actions. He was arrested and interviewed by Surroundings Company officers however answered “no comment” to all questions.
Throughout sentencing, Choose Adkin instructed Garrett: “You were unable to resist the lure of significant sums of money” and described the offences as “industrial scale environmental contamination committed by an individual.”
Following the listening to, an Surroundings Company spokesperson stated: “Garrett is a repeat offender who confirmed no look after the setting or human well being. He took no discover of the earlier warnings given by the courts and the Surroundings Company and imported hazardous waste, burying it to make a fast revenue.
“We are extremely pleased that he has now been brought to book and are working with our partners to establish what will happen to the site going forward. We would like to remind everyone who produces, transports or disposes of waste that they have a duty of care to ensure it doesn’t end up at a site like this.”
Anybody who suspects unlawful waste exercise can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
