WATCH: Crooks' own dashcam footage catches 750 tonnes of waste being dumped near Peterborough
A criminal waste dumping operation was exposed after one of the offenders unknowingly filmed 750 tonnes of rubbish being tossed on his own dashcam.
The footage, recorded by lorry driver Peter Elliott, 64, led to the prosecution and sentencing of seven men for the unlawful disposal and burial of hundreds of tonnes of controlled waste.
A convoy of lorries dumped around 200 tonnes of shredded household and commercial waste at Kingsclere Lime Quarry in Hampshire on July 31, 2019.
At least 550 tonnes of waste was also illegally buried at a site in Farcet, near Peterborough, where diggers were used to excavate burial pits for the waste.
Dashcam footage from Elliott’s lorry captured the dumping activity at both sites and was instrumental in securing convictions.
Michael Tucker, 48, was seen in the footage operating machinery to dig pits and move waste at the Cambridgeshire site.
His employee, Mohammed Waqar Bashir, 39, was seen directing vehicles and organising the dumping operation.
Barry Wilkes, 37, Peter Elliott, David Hannah, 47, Laurentiu Boaca, 37, Michael Tucker, 48, Mohammed Waqar Bashir, 39, and Steven Rozario, 55, were convicted at Winchester Crown Court following an investigation by the Environment Agency.
Boaca was identified as the driver of a lorry that arrived at the quarry carrying waste.
He claimed he could not tip the load due to a mechanical fault but was convicted of attempting to deposit waste.
Rozario, sole director of Active Management Facilities Limited, acted as the waste broker, arranging transport through Wembley Group Ltd.
The court heard that Rozario’s company failed to meet duty of care requirements and that waste documentation was seriously deficient, lacking key details about site permissions and waste destinations.
The Environment Agency said the case highlighted the value of partnership working, with evidence gathered through collaboration with Hampshire Police.
Area Enviornment Manager Colin Chiverton, said: "This was a serious, organised, and brazen criminal operation that saw hundreds of tonnes of controlled waste dumped and buried at sites completely unfit and unpermitted to receive it.
"Our immediate intervention at this site also stopped the offending in its tracks, preventing what could have been a much more serious situation with lasting environmental impacts at a chalk quarry.
"All seven defendants had clear legal responsibilities – as lorry operators, site managers, waste haulier, transport manager and waste broker – and all seven chose to ignore them.
"We will pursue those involved in waste crime at every level of the chain, from drivers to brokers."
At sentencing, Barry Wilkes, [37] of Denham Lane, Chalfont St Peter, director of Wembley Group Ltd, was given a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs.
David Hannah, [47] of Mendip Grove, St Helens, transport manager for Wembley Group, received a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete ten hours of rehabilitation activity and was ordered to pay a financial penalty of £300.
Peter Elliott, [64] of Queens Road, Hayes,was handed a 12-month community order and 80 hours of unpaid work.
Laurentiu Boaca, [37], of Edgware Road, London, director of Oituz Logistics, was also given a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work and £400 in costs.
Michael Tucker, [48], of, Bullock Road, Peterborough, director of Blue Rock Group Limited, was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work.
Mohammed Waqar Bashir [39] of Windmill Street, Peterborough, was given a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work and £400 in costs.
Steven Rozario, [55], of Woodland Avenue, Windsor, director of Active Management Facilities Limited, was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs.