Leeds man sentenced for role in illegal waste site with sons

Michael Todd, who lives in Barwick-in-Elmet near Leeds, was sentenced on 25 May for his role in running a waste processing site in Lincolnshire that repeatedly broke orders placed on it by the Environment Agency.

Todd, 65, was the fourth person to be sentenced in connection to the operation. Last month his two sons, Thomas Todd, 33, and Jamie Todd, 42, were both sentenced to prison for their role in a case which the judge said had “flagrantly breached environmental law.”

Failures were found by the Environment Agency at businesses which were operated by the three Todds and Bryan Walker near the A52 in Skegness between June 2015 and April 2017.

East Coast Recycling Properties Ltd, run by the Todd brothers, had an environmental permit that allowed them to process mixed waste in order to extract recyclable materials. The company was required to have a fire prevention plan in place, but inspections by the Environment Agency found serious dangers to the site and nearby houses.

Waste was found to be stacked too high and too close together, creating a fire risk. An influx of mice and flies caused the Environment Agency to suspend the site’s permit - stopping new material from arriving on site - between December 2015 and February 2016.

Visits by officers from the Environment Agency between March and May 2016 found that there were no firebreaks between the huge piles of waste, and the company’s permit was suspended again in July 2016.

That month Eco Green Logistics Limited, run by Bryan Walker, received an exemption to operate at the same location, however his section of the site was also found to have waste being stored unsafely.

Although the Environment Agency was told that no new waste would be brought onto the site, it found evidence that proved the contrary. Michael Todd was the director of a company that was brought in to remove waste from the site at this time.

The site’s environmental permit was fully revoked in March 2017 and the businesses were ordered to leave. A search under warrant by the Environment Agency found a diary owned by Michael Todd which highlighted a day when waste couldn’t be brought onto sit because of a visit by their officers, proving that he was trying to avoid their restrictions.

Michael Todd was sentenced to a 12-month Community Order with 15 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days and 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also disqualified from acting as a company director for five years.

Judge Batiste said that Michael Todd had been “reckless” rather than deliberate.

All three Todds are due back in court later this year in relation to a proceeds of crime act enquiry.

Yvonne Daly, an Environment Manager at the Environment Agency said: “Any breaches of environmental permits and illegal waste activity are taken very seriously. We will take the necessary action to disrupt criminal activity and prosecute those responsible.

“We support businesses trying to do the right thing and genuinely comply, but we will issue enforcement notices, and use our regulatory powers when appropriate."