Man caught dumping waste on Network Rail land sentenced
A man has been sentenced to 250 hours of unpaid work after he was found guilty of running an illegal waste site and dumping waste on land belonging to Network Rail.
Abdul Monir, 51 of Southwark Park Road, Bermondsey, was sentenced at Bromley Magistrates Court, where he was also ordered to pay a £2,000 fine in compensation to Network Rail.
On October 29, 2020, Network Rail reported that a large amount of waste was illegally deposited at Sittingbourne railway station. CCTV from Southeastern Trains showed that the waste had been deposited on October 22, 2020, by a Volvo lorry.
In November 2020, Network Rail contacted the Environment Agency (EA) with CCTV footage of their land at Milton Court Road in London of the same Volvo lorry entering the site full of waste and shortly exiting without any waste. Network Rail confirmed that the vehicle did not have permission to enter the site.
On December 17, 2020, EA officers visited Green Lane Recycling Ltd’s site at Manor Way Business Park, Swanscombe, whose sole director was Monir.
During this visit, the officers found that the site was being used as an illegal waste transfer station under the control of Green Lane Recycling Ltd. No permits or exemptions were in force that would allow the waste activities on site.
In January 2021, a PNC check revealed the vehicle used at Milton Court Road was in a traffic accident in December 2020, where the driver fled the scene.
The vehicle was recovered by Kent Police. After inspecting the vehicle, an EA officer found a Hi-Viz jacket with Green Lane Recycling Ltd’s logo and markings on the roof of the cab that linked it to the waste deposited at Sittingbourne Station.
Data from The Motor Insurance Bureau confirmed that the Volvo lorry was insured to Green Lane Recycling Ltd.
Matt Higginson, environment manager for the EA, said: “This was a deliberate breach of the law.
“This prosecution sends out a strong signal to others that we will continue to fight tirelessly to combat illegal waste crime and bring those responsible to justice.
“Environmental incidents can be reported to the Environment Agency 24/7 on 0800 807060, waste crime can also be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers online or on 0800 555111.”
Pictured top: The illegal waste site identified / Hi-Viz jacket with Green Lane Recycling Ltd’s logo and markings (Picture: EA)