09 September 2013
A man has been sentenced by Jersey’s Magistrate’s Court after being convicted of unlawfully transporting oil drums containing hazardous waste. The drums were found fly tipped at St Ouen’s Bay last year.
The man was sentenced in the Magistrate’s Court on 5 September 2013 under the Waste Management (Jersey) Law 2005. He had pleaded guilty to collecting ten drums containing waste oil and thinners from two vehicle garages in St Peter on or around 2 November last year and transporting them on a road without being a registered carrier of hazardous waste.
Recognising the seriousness of the matter, the Court noted the man’s personal circumstances and fined him £250. A second charge of depositing the drums was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Minister for Planning and Environment, Deputy Rob Duhamel, said “This is the first conviction under the Waste Management (Jersey) Law 2005 and it marks a milestone in waste regulation for the Island. Business has to take the environment seriously and cannot ignore environmental law with impunity. This case serves as a reminder that businesses need to act responsibly to ensure protection of Jersey’s environment.”
The man stated that he had passed the oil drums to two people, whom he knew but refused to name, when his van suffered a flat tyre in St Peter’s Valley. In the light of information about a second vehicle, investigators are to review CCTV footage. The environmental protection team is appealing for anyone who recalls seeing two vehicles, one of which was a white LDV Sherpa pick-up with an amber light on the roof, parked in St Peter’s Valley on or around 2 November last year, to get in touch with them.
Environmental protection officer Richard Runacres said that, following information about a possible second vehicle, Environmental Protection was keen to conclude the investigation. He added that the investigation had not been overly complex, but involved large numbers of site visits and interviews, and he thanked businesses and individuals that had offered information and assistance and the St Ouen Honorary Police for their valuable support in the early stages of the investigation.
Head of waste regulation for the Department of the Environment, David Monks, said “This investigation has highlighted a number of areas of poor practice in handling, storing and disposing of hazardous waste that are of particular concern. Hazardous wastes require special consideration and should only be dealt with by people and businesses that are competent to do so. Hazardous waste should only be disposed of at a licensed site. Any business must be able to account for how its waste is dealt with, whether it is recycled, recovered or disposed of.”
Anyone who may have information relating to this case is urged to contact the environmental protection team.
gov.je