A Co Down man who kept unauthorised waste atsites in Loughbrickland and Jonesborough has been given a suspended prison term.
Stephen Donald (54), of Carrick Road, Loughbrickland, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for three years, for 10 separate waste offences, to run concurrently.
Newry Crown Court heard that the offences related to the unauthorised deposit, keeping, and treating of controlled waste at two sites owned and controlled by Donald. There were located at Meenan Road, Loughbrickland and Station Road, Jonesborough.
Both sites had been subject to unauthorised waste disposal through surface deposition and infilling with controlled waste.
The site at Meenan Road, Loughbrickland was inspected on various occasions between 2017 and 2019 by officers of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
On March 27, 2019, NIEA officers carried out a full intrusive survey.
The survey uncovered large quantities of controlled waste consisting of waste compost contaminated with plastics, mushroom compost, chicken manure, construction and demolition and general household waste.
Samples of the waste taken during inspections showed that the waste was polluting in nature.
The site at Station Road, Jonesborough was inspected on various occasions between 2018 and 2020 by NIEA officers, who identified the presence of controlled waste consisting of mushroom compost, compost waste mixed with plastics and chicken litter waste.
Court heard there were no waste management authorisations in place to allow controlled waste to be deposited, kept, treated or disposed of on the site.
The NIEA issued Donald with a formal notice to remove the controlled waste, from both sites, but he failed to comply and the waste remains on site.
The NIEA was awarded a total of £2,853.76 in court costs.
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