The director and transport manager of haulage firm Wembley Group have been convicted for their roles in an organised illegal waste operation that saw around 750 tonnes of controlled waste transported by lorry and dumped at unauthorised sites in Hampshire and Cambridgeshire.
The convictions follow an Environment Agency investigation which found that Wembley Group, which was based in Sutton, London and had a licence for 15 trucks and 15 trailers, was responsible for transporting and illegally dumping the waste.
Around 200 tonnes of shredded household and commercial waste was tipped at Kingsclere Lime Quarry in Hampshire on 31 July 2019, while a further 550 tonnes was buried at a site in Farcet, near Peterborough, where excavators dug pits before the waste was covered over.
Barry Wilkes, director of Wembley Group, received a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £10,000 in prosecution costs after being convicted for his role in the operation.
David Hannah, the company’s transport manager, was also convicted and sentenced to a 12-month community order, together with a requirement to complete 10 hours of rehabilitation activity and pay a £300 financial penalty.
The investigation found key evidence in the form of dashcam footage from one of the lorry drivers involved, Peter Elliott, whose vehicle recorded waste being transported and deposited at both locations.
The court also heard that Steven Rozario, sole director of Active Management Facilities, acted as the waste broker, arranging transport through Wembley Group.
Prosecutors said his company failed to comply with its waste duty of care obligations, with transfer documentation described as seriously deficient and lacking key information about authorised disposal sites.
Also convicted was Laurentiu Boaca, director of Oituz Logistics, who was identified as the driver of a lorry carrying waste to Kingsclere. Although he claimed a mechanical fault prevented him from tipping the load, he was convicted of attempting to deposit controlled waste.
Michael Tucker, director of Blue Rock Group, was convicted after being filmed operating excavators used to dig burial pits and move waste at the Cambridgeshire site.
Mohammed Waqar Bashir was also convicted after footage showed him directing vehicle movements and supervising the dumping operation.
Peter Elliott was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work. Boaca received a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £400 in costs.
Tucker was given a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work, while Bashir received a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work and £400 in costs. Rozario was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs.
Commenting on the case, Colin Chiverton, Environment Agency area environment manager, said: “This was a serious, organised and brazen criminal operation that saw hundreds of tonnes of controlled waste dumped and buried at sites completely unfit and unpermitted to receive it.
“Our immediate intervention stopped the offending in its tracks, preventing what could have become a much more serious incident with lasting environmental impacts.
“All seven defendants had clear legal responsibilities – as lorry operators, site managers, waste haulier, transport manager and waste broker – and all seven chose to ignore them.
“We will pursue those involved in waste crime at every level of the chain, from drivers to brokers.”
