Last Updated on 18th September 2019 by Kirsty Smithson

Jail sentence for man caught dumping asbestos

A man has been jailed for 4 months after he was found guilty of dumping asbestos waste on the North York Moors last August.

He was tracked down by police through ‘operation eyeball’.

Darren Goddard from Lazenby, near Middlesbrough, admitted to dumping asbestos waste and other building materials at Danby, near Whitby.

Subsequently, he was sentenced to 4 months in prison earlier this month at Scarborough Magistrates Court

The police and environmental health officers are hoping that the mans jail sentence for dumping asbestos will help to deter others from doing the same.

Fly tipping of hazardous waste is a serious offence and the authorities are getting tougher with the culprits with the threat of a prison sentence.

Police Sergeant comments on the case

Speaking on behalf of Whitby Neighbourhood Policing Team, Sergeant Gareth Gilleard said, “The custodial sentence imposed by the court sends a very strong message that dumping asbestos waste in our precious countryside is completely unacceptable.”

“The prosecution also underlines how we can tackle this issue, with police, local authorities and other organisations working closely together. It came about as a result of a ‘day of action’ involving Whitby Neighbourhood Policing Team, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, other agencies, and specialist police resources.”

He went onto say, “I would urge members of the public to help us; if you find or witness fly-tipping, wherever it is, record as many details about the incident and the waste as you can, and report it to your local authority or via the gov.uk website. This will allow us to take action against those responsible and stop them fly-tipping in the future.”

Scarborough Borough Council’s Deputy Operations, Transport Manager, Harry Briggs, said, “This is an important sentence and demonstrates how seriously we, North Yorkshire Police and HM Court Service take such offences. We always investigate reports of fly-tipping with a view to tracing and bringing those responsible to justice. This is the first custodial sentence we have achieved for an offence of fly-tipping which must act as a warning to anyone who thinks they can dump waste in our communities and get away with it.”

Homeowners wanting to dispose of hazardous waste must use the services of a licensed carrier.

Details of licensed carriers can be found at environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

Soon, new laws will take effect where local councils will be given the power to issue penalties to households who don’t comply and give their waste to unlicensed people.

Source of article:- https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/17373707.asbestos-dumped-in-north-york-moors-national-park/?ref=fbshr

Duty holders and employers have a legal responsibility to manage asbestos in their properties, carrying out an asbestos survey in their building so as not to put employees at risk.

So make sure you contact our Armco office to arrange asbestos testing or an asbestos survey, before it’s too late! 

Whether you need an asbestos management survey, or a refurbishment/ demolition survey, contact us on 0161 763 3727 or by visiting https://www.armco.org.uk/

Finally, for all your asbestos training needs call 0161 761 4424 or visit https://www.armcoasbestostraining.co.uk/to book an asbestos awareness training course.

Published Jan 30, 2019