Banknock skip hire company fined £1,750 after complaint about
waste
EXT01 – D01
A skip hire company was fined £1,750 at Falkirk Sheriff Court
today (9 February) for illegally keeping waste on a site in
Bonnybridge.
Denny Skip Hire Limited pled guilty to keeping controlled waste,
namely garden waste in plastic bags and road planings, at a site in
Banknock without the authority of a waste management licence. The
matter was investigated by the Scottish Environment Protection
Agency (SEPA) and reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
During December 2008 SEPA received a complaint regarding the
deposit of waste in two areas of the Denny Skip Hire Limited skip
storage area. SEPA officers attended the site to investigate and
found not only the garden waste that had been complained about, but
also stockpiles of road planings. The matter was discussed with the
company and it was indicated that the material would be removed by
18 December. However, when officers attended again at the beginning
of January it was found that none of the waste had been
removed.
Chris Dailly, SEPA's investigating officer, said:
"Denny Skip Hire Limited was given the opportunity to remove
this waste, but failed to do so within the agreed timescale. The
site is adjacent to a route used by walkers and the visual impact
of the waste is detrimental to the local community.
"By not disposing of the waste at a licenced site, or applying
for the appropriate licence to allow this activity to be carried
out, Denny Skip Hire Limited has benefitted financially."
SEPA's Colin Bayes, Director of Environmental Protection and
Improvement said:
"We want to help people avoid pollution and advice on how to do
that is easily available from our staff, offices and www.sepa.org.uk. The NetRegs website, www.netregs.gov.uk 
, also offers clear guidance on environmental rules and
regulations. However, where pollution is significant or persistent,
or is as a result of wilful or negligent actions, SEPA will use its
enforcement powers to protect the environment for the benefit of
all of Scotland's citizens.
"However, if a pollution incident occurs, we urge anyone to let
us know straight away by calling our 24 hour pollution report line,
0800 80 70 60, giving as many details as possible so effective
action can be taken."
Ends
Notes to editors
The exact charge Denny Skip Hire Limited pled guilty to was:
Between 15 December 2008 and 5 January 2009 at land at Banknock,
Bonnybridge, FK4 1TD, located at National Grid Reference NS 7877
7966 you DENNY SKIP HIRE LIMITED did keep controlled waste, namely
garden waste in plastic bags, road planings in or on said land
otherwise than in accordance with a waste management licence in
that there was garden waste in plastic bags, road planings on said
land; CONTRARY to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section
33(1b)(b)(i)