A COMPANY which illegally dumped construction waste and soil on common land has been ordered to pay more than £12,000.

Bob Gay Plant Hire Limited committed the offences at Eglwysilan Common, Senghenydd, Caerphilly.

They were prosecuted following a Natural Resources Wales (NRW) investigation.

Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court heard that 2,900 tonnes of the waste was deposited between March and July 2020 without the necessary permits or exemptions in place.

The last deposit was after NRW had ordered the firm not to dispose any more waste following its initial investigation which a judge deemed deliberate.

A NRW spokesperson said: “The company was directed to put the waste on Eglwysilan Common by Terry Jones of Pen-yr-Heol Las Farm.

“Terry Jones had registered a waste exemption at his farm to use waste in construction.

“But the exemption did not include the nearby common and far exceeded the 1,000 tonnes allowed of this type of waste to be stored for use.

Bob Gay Plant Hire Ltd, based in Efail Isaf, near Pontypridd, pleaded guilty to three offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The company was fined £7,320, ordered to pay NRW costs of £5,197.29 and a victim surcharge of £170.

After the case, Jon Goldsworthy, operations manager for NRW, said: “Waste crime can have a negative impact on the environment, people’s health and their local communities.

“We will prosecute those who seek to profit by breaking the law and whose actions undermine legitimate businesses operating within the waste industry.

“We hope the outcome of this case sends a clear message that we will always take the appropriate steps to protect people and nature while also protecting the marketplace for legitimate operators.”