A judge has told a Plymouth man he escaped prison ‘by the skin of his teeth’ in a case brought by the Environment Agency.

Connor Calam fly-tipped waste on the edge of Dartmoor while subject to a suspended prison sentence for driving offences. The custodial sentence was very nearly activated by Exeter Crown Court.

The court heard a farmer found a large quantity of rubble and other waste deposited across a track near Pudson Farm, Okehampton in January 2017. The waste blocked access to three of his fields. The farmer reported the incident to the Environment Agency and local council and was told he would have to pay for its removal and safe disposal.

Enquiries by the Environment Agency traced the waste back to Plymouth Skip Hire in Stonehouse, Plymouth operated by Connor Calam, also known as Riley James.

The building waste came from insurance repairs carried out on a property in Plymouth by a local company that paid the defendant £245 to remove the material on the understanding he was a registered waste carrier.

Plymouth Skip Hire ceased trading in April 2017. Zenith Construction Ltd, whose waste was illegally tipped by the defendant, later paid for its removal as a goodwill gesture to the farmer.

Phil Butterworth of the Environment Agency said:

This prosecution is a timely reminder to businesses and home owners to ask three simple questions when getting someone in to dispose of their waste.

Is the person registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier – ‘ask for proof’’? Where do they intend to take the waste and can they provide a receipt? If they can’t provide satisfactory answers to these questions, don’t hand over your waste.

Appearing before Exeter Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday 6 March 2018, Connor Calam, of Seaview Avenue, Lipson, Plymouth was fined £2,000 for breaching a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £2,500 costs. He was also made the subject of a 12-month community order, ordered to pay £260 compensation to Zenith Construction Ltd plus an £85.00 victim surcharge.

His Honour Judge Ralls QC said ‘Fly-tipping in a beautiful part of the country is a serious matter’ and warned the defendant he’d escaped being sent to prison ‘by the skin of his teeth.’

The sentencing followed an earlier hearing where the defendant was found guilty of disposing of controlled waste on land at Pudson Farm, Okehampton between 10 and 27 February 2017 without an environmental permit contrary to Section 33 of the Environment Protection Act 1990.

The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for waste operations, mining waste operations, installations, water discharge and groundwater activities. The arrangements are explained in its Public Participation Statement

These notices explain:

• what the application is about
• how you can view the application documents
• when you need to comment by

The Environment Agency will decide:

• whether to grant or refuse the application
• what conditions to include in the permit (if granted)

The Environment Agency has submitted to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for confirmation a scheme under Section 3 of the Land Drainage Act 1991 making provision for the following matters:

• the reconstitution of the Parrett Internal Drainage Board so as to reduce the number of elected members of the Board to 12
• matters supplemental to or consequential on that reconstitution

The Environment Agency has submitted to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for confirmation a scheme under Section 3 of the Land Drainage Act 1991 making provision for the following matters:

• the reconstitution of the Axe Brue Internal Drainage Board so as to reduce the number of elected members of the Board to 12
• matters supplemental to or consequential on that reconstitution

The Environment Agency gives notice that it proposes to carry out improvement work to 2 sections of Redcliffe Bank on the right bank of the River Frome downstream from Wareham, Dorset: approximately 77m of bank near Redcliffe Yacht Club and 110m of bank near Redcliffe boat yard (NGR SY 93503 87281). The objective is to restore the Redcliffe bank to its original design level and cross section. This is in line with the approved Poole and Wareham Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy 2013.

The proposed works will involve:

• mobilisation of a site compound
• removing vegetation from the crest and landward face of the embankment
• using soil fill from landward side of the embankment to raise the bank to the required level
• desilting the parallel Delph ditch which has become blocked and overgrown
• placing material from desilting to bring the embankment to its final level
• demobilising the site compound