THE owner of a West Devon waste recycling business was last week ordered to pay £6,302 in fines and costs for illegally disposing of waste on Bonfire Night. The case was brought by the Environment Agency.

On Novembers 5 last year a member of the public reported a large fire at a waste site at Hayedown, Tavistock. The size of the flames and large amount of black acrid smoke made the person suspect plastic or rubber was being burnt.

Plymouth Magistrates heard that Environment Agency officers visited the site and spoke to the operator, Roger Sparling.

Mr Sparling said the bonfire was a traditional November 5 celebration for his staff and family. Mr Sparling runs a waste transfer station that adjoins an old landfill that he uses to store waste materials awaiting recycling.

The court heard that officers found the remains of a very large fire measuring approximately 40ft across on the site of the old landfill. The centre of the fire was still smouldering and contained the partially burnt remains of various waste including metal cans, melted glass, tyres and a mattress.

Flames from the fire were reported to be higher than a 6 – 8 metre high earth bund surrounding the landfill.

Agency officers told Roger Sparling the size of the fire was 'excessive'. They said it was apparent the fire had contained more than just clean wood and that a large quantity of skip waste had been illegally burnt.

The magistrates fined Mr Sparling £4,000 and ordered him to pay £2,302 costs after he pleaded guilty to illegally disposing of waste by burning, an offence under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.

Speaking after the case, Sarah Taylor for the Environment Agency said: 'There is nothing wrong with burning clean wood on Bonfire Night, but when November 5 is used as an excuse to get rid of unwanted waste materials that have the potential to cause harm to human health and the environment, we won't hesitate to prosecute.

'People paid good money to Mr Sparling to dispose of their waste safely and he should have done so and not just set fire to it. We would like to thank local residents who reported this incident to the Environment Agency,'

Members of the public can call the Environment Agency's free 24-hour hotline 0800 80 70 60 to report pollution or waste crime.