The Environment Agency have been lambasted by a judge for bringing a case to court which "only limped past half time in the trial" and cost the public purse £2 million.
Hendrik Wiegersma, 62, who runs an equestrian centre at Highhampton, Devon, was accused of "allowing the deposit of controlled waste" after arranging for old tyres to buried on his land.
Mr Wiegersma, father of third-ranked three-day-eventer in the world Lucy Wiegersma, was awarded costs after being found not guilty by a jury at the end of an eight-week trial. Exeter Crown Court heard how Mr Wiegersma buried the tyres bales to improve drainage and provide a springy surface for horses to ride on - a system used at other centres.
The tyre bales were from Recycled Construction Systems, owned by Somerset businessman and amateur showjumper Tom Dunn. Mr Dunn, 26, of Taunton, was charged with four counts of depositing waste without a permit, but he was found not guilty.
Mr Dunn's father Nigel, who drove the tyre bales to the equestrian centres, was also cleared of two charges.
The prosecution claimed the tyre bales were illegal waste because some failed to meet a technical specification called PAS 108, but the defence said they posed no danger to the environment and that the operation was a legitimate form of recycling benefiting everyone involved.
Judge Wassall said the Agency should have sought clarification, rather than "rush" into a prosecution. "I feel there was a rush to prosecute this case at a time when it really needed reflection and mature thinking," he said. "This trial has cost a fortune - a great deal of public money and should be examined very carefully."
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