Mr Francis Anthony Heaton from Manchester was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to dumping 100 tonnes of pungent processed household waste on the site of the Kingfisher Special School in Oldham. The school had been left with a £22,197 bill for removal.
A representative of the special school stated to the police that the school gates were cut open to allow access for the waste to be deposited on the piece of land at the school used as parking, disrupting the education of pupils, some with life-limiting conditions, for two weeks. Fly infestation and risk of disease meant that pupils were not able to use any outdoor education facilities.
The school was helped by Oldham Council to remove the waste from its site, however, the cost of removal was placed upon the school to pay, which is equivalent to an annual salary of a teaching assistant or the school's annual budget for learning resources.
Mark Easedale who is the Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency (EA) said: "This case demonstrates how seriously the EA takes illegal waste crime. We take robust enforcement action against those who deliberately ignore the law to protect communities and the environment. Heaton put the welfare of the pupils at risk and disrupted their education. This case is particularly disturbing as the Kingfisher Special School were made to pay to clear the waste."
