A TRADER who illegally stored up to 6,000 waste tyres on farmland has been given two months to clear the site.
The Environment Agency took Adrian Last to court over the issue, after he failed to comply with a notice served on him last year.
Skegness Magistrates' Court was told that Last illegally stored waste tyres for two years on disused land at Harness Farm, in Bridge Lane, Fulstow. At the time, he was trading as The Branch/Crusade On Waste.
In November 2012, Last was served with a notice requiring him to remove the tyres by January 25 this year. He did not comply with the notice. This week, magistrates ordered the businessman to clear the site by midday on November 7, deferring sentence on him until after the order expires.
Last will next appear at Skegness Magistrates' Court on November 14. Emma Cranfield, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, said Last told investigating officers he thought up to 6,000 tyres had been taken to the farm.
He said he bought the tyres and sold on those that were re-usable, estimating that about 30 per cent were suitable for selling on.
Miss Cranfield said Last claimed he had been ill, which meant he had been unable to clear the site.
The prosecutor explained to the magistrates that Last had registered some waste exemptions with the Agency for waste recovery and recycling but the exemptions were either not relevant to the activities carried out on the site or the conditions of the exemptions were being breached.
"Mr Last failed to respond to advice given by our officer. He was given ample time to clear the site," said Miss Cranfield.
Making the order, the magistrates told Last that in their opinion, the Environment Agency had been more than patient with him and these tyres needed to be cleared.
Following the hearing, Environment Agency officer Rob Flint said: "This sort of waste activity can harm the environment and because of the numbers and the way they were stored there was a very real fire risk. Everyone who disposes of waste has a duty of care to ensure their waste is handled correctly."
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