Two men who falsified documents while running an unauthorised waste facility in Croston have been sentenced.
Cavin Mears and former director Stephen Bryce were fined and ordered to carry out unpaid work over the illegal operations of Cats and Dust Limited.
Preston Crown Court heard the pair previously ran RF Recycling Ltd, a company which operated a regulated facility without an environmental permit at Twin Lakes Industrial Estate between January and June 2020.
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Following a visit from the Environment Agency in October 2021, RF Recycling ceased trading. However, Cats and Dust Ltd began trading immediately afterwards, operating unlawfully from a separate unit within the same trading estate until January 2022.
Mears, 45 and from Euxton, was convicted for his roles in both businesses for multiple offences across 2020-22, including operating waste facilities without permits and falsifying consignment notes. He was handed a 12 month community order which included 200 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £11,360 in compensation and costs.
Bryce, 45 and from Lancaster, was convicted for being responsible for operating an unpermitted waste facility and submitting falsified consignment notes in connection with RF Recycling. He was given a 12-month community order requiring 150 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £6,000 in costs.
Cats and Dust Ltd was also convicted for operating a regulated waste facility without the required environmental permit and submitting multiple falsified Hazardous Waste Consignment Notes, misrepresenting producers or consignees. The business was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 in costs.
Sentencing, Judge Guy Mathieson said both men had long experience in the waste industry, including work with hazardous materials, and therefore should have been fully aware of their legal responsibilities.
He described their conduct as reckless at the outset, but later deliberate and financially motivated, with falsified paperwork used to conceal their actions.
He added that their disregard for regulations demonstrated that they “didn’t care about obligations and didn’t care about the impact on people, property or the environment.”
Shannon Nicholson, environmental crime team leader at the Environment Agency said: “This case shows that those who attempt to profit from waste crime will be held to account. Handling hazardous materials without the correct permits is a serious offence which can put communities and the environment at risk, while also undercutting legitimate businesses.
“By continuing operations despite warnings and by falsifying paperwork, these defendants demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law.”
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