Five firms fined £70,666 over illegal dumping of 121,000 tonnes waste in Suffolk

Five organizations, including East Suffolk Water Management Board and Nicholls Ltd, were fined over £70,000 after illegally dumping more than 121,000 tonnes of construction waste at two farmland sites in Iken, Suffolk between 2016 and 2018. The waste, comprising rubble, concrete, brick, wood, and plastic, was stockpiled without the necessary environmental permits, with the East Suffolk Water Management Board failing to obtain proper permissions and registering exemptions that were quickly breached due to the volume of waste. Nicholls Ltd, which transported the waste on behalf of the board, received the largest fine and was additionally ordered to pay £425,000 under a Proceeds of Crime order to prevent profiting from the illegal activity. The three suppliers of the waste—Howard Construction (Anglia) Ltd, Barconn Ltd, and Landex Ltd—were fined for failing to verify where the waste was being deposited. The court condemned the actions as negligent and described the scale of the dumping as "completely off the scale," with Judge Martyn Levett criticizing the Water Management Board for turning a blind eye to the illegal activities. The Environment Agency emphasized the seriousness of waste crime and the duty of care required when transporting or disposing of waste, underscoring the legal and financial consequences faced by the involved parties.