Asbestos fly-tipper jailed
ON THE 18 April 2019, Paul Williams appeared before Preston Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to four offences. He was sentenced to serve 14 weeks imprisonment for each offence (concurrent) and ordered to pay £150 victim’s surcharge.
At an earlier hearing on 20th March 2019, James Young had pleaded guilty to a fly-tipping offence and he was sentenced to pay a fine of £800, £1,000 compensation, £717 prosecution costs and £80 victim’s surcharge.
James Young, 48 of Railway Road, Darwen, was the owner of J. L. Roofing and the waste subject to the fly-tipping offence was produced in the course of a roofing project he was engaged with.
At the time of the offences Paul Williams, 53 formerly of Ashbourne Crescent, Preston was resident in a block of flats at Havelock Court in Preston from where he was operating a clandestine waste transfer and disposal site.
Director of customer cervices and interim deputy chief executive Neil Fairhurst said, “Of particular concern is the total disregard to health displayed by Mr Williams and Mr Young. The way in which they handled the asbestos roofing waste created a serious risk to the health to anyone in close proximity.
“These were deliberate offences committed for financial gain. It is apparent that Mr Young used the illegal services offered by Williams purely to avoid the high costs which he would have encountered by using an authorised hazardous waste disposal service.
“Thankfully, fly-tipping asbestos waste is a rare occurrence in Preston as most people follow the correct disposal guidelines or use specialist contractors.”
