A KIDDEMINSTER man pleaded guilty to his part in the illegal burial of waste in Bromsgrove.

Colin Leslie Parsons, 69, was fined £4,000, and ordered to pay £6,000 in costs, along with a £15 victim surcharge, for operating a waste facility without an environmental permit, at Redditch Magistrates Court.

Terry Dean Jacobs, 44, of Redditch, who knowingly permitted the operation of a regulated facility without an environmental permit, also pleaded guilty, receiving the same fine and costs as Parsons.

The charges were brought by the Environment Agency following a call from the public about a large scale landfill operation that was allegedly operated by Colin Parsons and Sons Limited, in July 2011.

Environment Agency officers investigated the site, which held no authorisations for waste management activities, on land at West Lodge Farm, Swan Lane, Upton Warren.

Jacobs owned the land and had received payment to allow the burial of waste at the site between July 1 and October 2, 2011.

During that period, Parsons had hired excavating equipment and a wagon to transport waste to the field.

During a visit to the site in August 2011, Environment Agency officers discovered a large disturbed area of ground with black plastic bags and plastic protruding out of the soil and a fresh pile of soil to the side.

It appeared waste had been buried in that area and plant machinery on site was traced back to Parsons.

On another visit to the site in September 2011, officers noticed the excavated area appeared to have been covered over and seeded. They visited the site again the following month with West Mercia Police to investigate.

Three trenches were dug, uncovering a mix of plastic, fabric, metal, glass, rubber and window frames.

A notice was served on Jacobs in November 2012 to remove the waste from the site by February 15, 2013, which was not complied with.

Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer in charge of the investigation, said: “The defendants have been uncooperative throughout the investigation.

"By burying or allowing the burying of waste, they are risking damage to the environment and undercutting legitimate businesses for their own financial gain.

"This prosecution demonstrates that we take waste crime very seriously and will not hesitate to prosecute if necessary, to protect the environment and local communities.”