Owner fined after allowing almost 500 tonnes of waste left on site of former Miners' Welfare club

Virendra Kotak, of Leicester, will have to pay nearly £10,000 after letting the land four miles north of Doncaster fall into severe disrepair. The landowner demolished the former Highfield Miners Welfare and allowed more than 500 tonnes of demolition waste to accumulate on the site. It then became a fly-tipping hotspot, with local residents calling for action to get it cleared up.

Doncaster Council attempted to cooperate and engage with Mr Kotak several times but failed, saying it was left with no option other than prosecution. When the case was brought to the local magistrates, Mr Kotak failed to attend. He was therefore presented with penalties related to breached of the Building Act (£2,500), Environmental Protection Act (£4,500) and the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act (£1,000).

Mayor Ros Jones said: “We are delighted with the outcome of this prosecution against an absentee landowner who had speculatively bought this land. By failing to clear his land of hazardous waste, this perpetrator has shown blatant disregard for, not just the letter of the law, but the safety of the public and the council’s hardworking enforcement officers. Something we find completely unacceptable.

“This serious case demonstrates that Doncaster Council will simply not tolerate such behaviour and will always push for the strongest sentences possible for landowners who fail to take responsibility for their land and ignore legal notices.”