A Buckinghamshire scrap car dealer who put the environment at risk has been ordered to pay £9,379 after a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency.
Reginald Hyde, who operates the facility on land at Cotherne, Oxford Road, Oakley, failed to de-pollute vehicles correctly and then stored them on impermeable ground which had the potential to pollute the environment.
At Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court on Monday he pleaded guilty to one offence of breaching the terms of an environmental permitting enforcement notice and was fined a total of £4,000, ordered to pay costs of £5,259 in addition to £120 victim surcharge.
Environment officer Kelly Horsley said: “Scrap vehicles and engines pose a threat to the environment if not handled with great care. Despite numerous site visits and advice given to him, Mr Hyde failed to de-pollute vehicles correctly and then stored these vehicles on impermeable ground which has the potential to pollute the environment.
“This prosecution should act as a strong deterrent to anyone thinking about operating a similar site without complying with the terms of their environment permit or without the necessary environmental permit being in place. Environmental legislation seeks to ensure that waste is dealt with properly and does not pollute our environment.”
The court heard that waste motor vehicles are brought onto the site by Mr Hyde and treated by being de-polluted and dismantled before being stored and then taken off site for disposal or to be sold on.
Hyde has had an Environmental Permit to carry out these activities since July 2011, which sets out a number of conditions that must be complied with to ensure the environment is protected from potentially harmful fluids in the scrapped cars, such as oil or brake fluid.
This is to protect the underlying groundwater and a stream next to the site.
