Rubbish cheat fined £25,000

The owner of a scrapyard in Buckinghamshire has been ordered to pay a hefty fine after repeatedly flouting waste disposal laws.

Michael Komaroni was investigated by the Environment Agency and given numorous warnings to clean up his scrapyard in Halton. The mess in the yard included skips full of car batteries and piles of electronic equipment.

Having ignored the warnings, Komaroni has now been ordered by Aylesbury magistrates to pay £26,800 in fines and court costs.

The court heard how the Environmental Agency visited the site a number of times throughout 2006 and 2007 and found skips overflowing with industrial and commercial waste, including glass, metal and tyre rims.

Holly Linham, one of the Environment officers on the investigation team, said: “We spoke to Mr Komaroni on several occasions and sent him reminder letters, explaining that he needed to apply for a waste management licence.

“However he ignored our warnings and continued to bring additional waste onto the site without the necessary licence.

“By not having a licence the company avoided the cost of installing the correct measures to protect the environment, and put human health and the environment at risk, in an area close to the Grand Union Canal.

“Other operators in the area have either obtained or are applying for waste management licenses and have carried out work to ensure their sites will not harm the environment. Today’s fine should send a clear message that we will not tolerate operators who persistently flout the law.”