A farmer who tried to blame his dead father for the old fridges and hazardous waste dumped on his land, has been ordered to pay £27,744 in fines and costs. The tenant of Ashley Farm, near Ringwood in Dorset was charged this month with 3 offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This followed a guilty plea from Bournemouth roof installation company Warmroof Systems, who were discovered burying chemical drums at the farm. A tip-off saw Environment Agency inspectors investigate the farm in July 2005. In addition to the fridges and hazardous waste, they discovered various plastics, metals and televisions plus construction and green waste. Further excavation of the site revealed air conditioning units and tyres, which had been buried in layers at depths of up to 4 metres.
During a formal interview, the farmer initially denied any knowledge of the incident and blamed his father who had died in 2003. However, evidence found with the fridges showed the burying occurred after his father's death. He eventually admitted allowing people to dispose of waste on the farm, allowing Warmroof Systems to keep waste there and permitting the disposal of their chemical drums, all without a waste management licence. Warmroof Systems were also fined a total of £5,627 for 4 breaches of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
