£500k fine for waste disposal company Amey issued by Cambridgeshire County Council

The company said the missed target was due to its Waterbeach treatment facility being damaged in storm Erik in February.

Cambridgeshire County Council levied the £500,000 penalty charge when the waste contractor failed to meet its contractual obligations to the council in the financial year 2018/19.

The council said Amey missed its target of sending no more than 48,808 tonnes of biodegradable waste to landfill by 29 per cent.

A spokesperson for Amey said: “The target for the maximum amount of biodegradable waste that can be sent to landfill was missed due to part of the mechanical and biological treatment plant being shut between February and May 2019. This was so that emergency repairs could be carried out to the roof of the building, which was damaged by storm Erik on 8 February.

“As a responsible operator, we kept Cambridgeshire County Council informed of the situation, carried out the repairs at our own cost and compensated the council, despite this being caused by an act of nature rather than a performance failure by Amey.

“We are on schedule to meet all performance targets and comply with all contractual requirements for 2019/20.”

Ben Hatton, Local Democracy Reporting Service