Man admits he 'burned some things he shouldn't' on farmland

Yahoo

11 hours ago

A MAN who burned hazardous waste on a farm in the Bradford district asked who had 'grassed me up' when he was visited by Environment Agency officers.
A court heard how Scott Wilkin, aged 33, had been involved of the illegal burning of waste, including household appliances and fridges, late last year.
The Environment Agency carried out an investigation into the site after several complaints about burning on Henholme Lane, Silsden.
On Wednesday Wilkin, of Riverside Road, appeared in court charged over the burning of waste on the site without a permit.
He admitted the charge.
Another man, David Holmes, 69, of Henholme Lane, was charged with the same offence. He failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest
The court was told that the crime related to a period between October 17 and January 10.
Mr Newman, prosecuting on behalf of the Environment Agency, said: 'Bradford Council had been informed of an illegal waste operation taking place on land off Henholme Lane. They attended and saw various pieces of waste on the site.
'Firefighters attended on three occasions to reports of burning on the site and told those present they shouldn't be burning.
'Officers visited the site on November 5 to reports of illegal burning of fridges, freezers, mattresses and other household goods.
'A male was seen sorting through the waste. He was identified as David Holmes, who told officers they 'had him red handed.''
He said they were burning 'everything, fridges, freezers, everything' and that Scott would 'bury' the waste afterwards.
Mr Newman said: 'There were plastics, aerosols and other waste items.'
Holmes and Wilkin were sent letters on November 19 ordering them to stop burning on the site. A future visit found that the burning had apparently continued.
On that visit Wilkin confirmed he had received the previous letter, but told officers 'how did you get my address? Who grassed me up?'
Referring to this exchange, Mr Newman told Magistrates: 'The defendant clearly knew he was doing something wrong.'
Magistrates heard that Wilkin was 'no stranger to the courts' and was currently serving suspended sentences for handling stolen goods and driving while disqualified.
Representing himself in court, Wilkin said he had recently taken on the tenancy of the farm.
A barn that he planned to store livestock in during the winter months had been full of waste, and he carried out burning to try to clear it.
He said: 'In my eyes I didn't think I was doing a lot wrong."
He said the fridges were going to be taken away, and weren't being burned.
He added: 'It never came into my head what I was doing was as serious as it was.
'I probably pushed my luck burning some things I shouldn't.'
He told Magistrates he understood Holmes was stuck in Spain.
Wilkin was handed a 12-month community order that will require him to carry out 160 hours unpaid work. He will also have to pay £114 towards the Environment Agency costs.