A property firm has been hit with a hefty £30,000 fine for failing to clear up illegal waste at a Croydon retail park. Wallington-based Spark Properties Ltd failed to heed multiple warnings and an official enforcement notice to remove unlawfully dumped waste from 33 Imperial Way.
This follows significant waste dumping incidents reported by Croydon Council in August 2022. Aerial photographs show dozens of tyres, bin bags, pallets and other bits of wood and metal dumped in car parking spaces behind a property.
Environment Agency officers had tried to work with Spark Properties Ltd since March 2023, requesting a cleanup plan on March 13 2023. However, after no response was forthcoming, they issued a formal enforcement notice on March 31 2023, giving the company two months to clear the site.
With no action taken by June 16 2023, the Environment Agency moved forward with prosecution. The company was convicted at Croydon Magistrates' Court, where it was sentenced on Friday, November 15.
Matt Higginson, environment manager for the Environment Agency said: "We are determined to ensure there is no space for waste crime and are pushing forward with our 'Op Angola' investigations and pursuing the criminals who deposited the waste at various locations in Croydon.", reports MyLondon.
He added: "However, landowners are responsible to clear up waste illegally deposited on their land. We tried to work with the company to give advice on how to get the land clear, but after many warnings, we had no alternative but to go down the enforcement route".
On top of the £30,000 fine, Spark Properties Ltd was also ordered to pay £18,840.28 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge. The Environment Agency is urging anyone who suspects waste crime to report it by ringing 0800 807060.
