UK Environment Agency Fines Scrap Yard

An auto dismantling yard in Hackney, UK, was fined earlier this month after pleading guilty to operating illegally without a waste management license.

Abdul Jafor pleaded guilty to illegally operating the site; he was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £2,180 costs.

A local Magistrates court heard how Jafor had been operating an end of life vehicle site between November 2004 and April 2005 at his Hackney yard.

After several visits by officers with the Environment Agency it became aware that significant improvements would need to be made at the facility. Additionally, Jafor failed to apply for a license to operate and ELV dismantling facility. Early this year Jafor was issued with an enforcement notice ordering him to remove all the waste within 28 days. But when officers returned to the site in the spring they found that although some improvements had been made there were still a number of waste vehicles being stored at the site.

Investigating officer Iain Regan said: “We gave Mr Jafor a number of warnings that he was operating illegally and numerous opportunities to get his house in order. Mr Jafor chose to disregard these warnings, showing contempt for the law, the Environment Agency and the environment: he has now paid the price for this in the form of a criminal record and a substantial fine.

The site was granted an exemption under paragraph 45 of the waste management licensing regulations in May 2005. The exemption only permits the storage and dismantling of depolluted scrap motor vehicles.