A Manchester man has been jailed for 12 months for illegally dumping 100 tonnes of pungent waste on the site of The Kingfisher Special School, Oldham. The school was left with a £22,197 bill to remove the waste. The Environment Agency brought the case against Mr Francis Anthony Heaton after he was arrested by Greater Manchester Police for dumping processed household waste (Trommel fines) on land used as a car park at the school. Heaton pleaded guilty on 18 December 2018 at Tameside Magistrates Court.

A representative for the special school confirmed to the police that the school gates had been cut and removed to allow access for the waste to be deposited. The pupils, some with life limiting conditions, had their education disrupted for two weeks due to the waste. The children were unable to use the outdoor education facilities due to an insect infestation in the waste and the risk to the pupils from the infestation. The Kingfisher Special School was helped by Oldham Council to remove the waste, however the cost of the waste removal will fall to the school to pay that is the equivalent to the cost of a teaching assistant’s annual salary or the school’s annual budget for its learning resources.

In April 2018 Mr Heaton was fined at Tameside Magistrates for driving the vehicle without the correct driving licence, with false plates, no insurance or a valid MOT certificate and had his driving licence endorsed with penalty points. Greater Manchester Police seized the vehicle and following the statutory period the vehicle was crushed as no owner claimed the vehicle or made a claim for it.

Mark Easedale, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency said:

This case demonstrates how seriously the EA takes illegal waste crime. We take robust enforcement action against those who deliberately ignore the law to protect communities and the environment.

Heaton put the welfare of the pupils at risk and disrupted their education. This case is particularly disturbing as the Kingfisher Special School were made to pay to clear the waste.

Waste crime damages the environment, endangers communities and undermines legitimate business. If you have any suspicions that waste is being deposited on your land please contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 or the police as soon as possible.

In mitigation Mr Heaton’s barrister told the court that he accepts there was damage to the community and he pleaded guilty on the day of his trial. Judge Lawton told the court he believed Mr Heaton knew full well what he was doing and that it was a deliberate act.

Last year, the Environment Agency closed over 800 illegal waste sites, more than 2 a day. The EA were also granted new powers to combat waste crime. The regulator now has the authority to lock up illegal waste sites and block access to prevent waste piling up and posing a risk to the environment.

To report waste crime, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can call the Environment Agency on 0370 850 6506 to find out how to responsibly manage any waste your business produces or visit gov.uk/managing-your-waste-an-overview/overview.

ENDS

Cassie Williams, independent member, writes about the opportunities and challenges she has had since joining in 2016 and how the flexible work allows her to fit it in around her other commitments.

By Cassie Williams, independent member since 2016

I joined the Parole Board in 2016 and have discovered so much more about risk assessments, psychology, people and myself than I thought would come from this role. I applied to become a member as I was looking for a new challenge that worked around my busy family life as a mum to 3 young daughters, and professional commitments as a barrister. It isn’t always easy, but the ability to plan my Parole Board commitments some months ahead allows me to take on as much or as little work as I want.

Sometimes I undertake 3 or 4 oral hearings in a week, where I actively question professionals and prisoners, sometimes I work from home carrying out paper assessments to determine whether a case needs an oral hearing, whether I can direct release, or make no direction for release of a prisoner. I also attend meetings at headquarters both in person and via skype.

The work is challenging in terms of the materials you have to consider and the responsibility of the decisions, but I’ve found my colleagues supportive and helpful. I’ve gained a great deal from members from different professional backgrounds and can honestly say that I find it to be a very rewarding role. As well as my normal Parole Board work, I am involved in developing and implementing policy, practice observations and much more.

The development of the membership is an ongoing priority for the Parole Board and so the opportunity is there to take on additional roles, qualify as a Chair and participate in events and training.

Under the plans, the military will provide operational ration packs to FareShare, a charity who distributes food to nearly 10,000 UK charities, including community groups, homeless hostels and lunch groups for the elderly.

The ration packs are enough to sustain ten soldiers for a 24 hour period and include items for breakfast, lunch and dinner, such as porridge, sausages, baked beans, pasta and rice. The range of ingredients enables the preparation of nutritionally balanced meals and provides 4000 calories to sustain an active person over a 24 hour period.

Minister for Defence People and Veterans Tobias Ellwood said:

Ration packs help provide nutritionally balanced meals to our armed forces on operations around the world. But charity begins at home, and I’m pleased our partnership with FareShare will make sure no food goes to waste.

FareShare does a fantastic job redistributing food across the country and I’m proud the military can support communities in this way.

The ration packs donated by the MOD will help the recipient charities save on food bills, allowing them re-invest money into essential support programmes.

Around 2 million ration packs are used by the military every year, with less than 1% of the MOD’s stock requiring disposal. This scheme means that when it becomes clear a batch of ration packs can’t be used, there is an opportunity to gift to those in need and ensure that any good food does not go to waste.

The MOD is committed to keeping disposals to an absolute minimum, and this scheme will help reduce these even further.

The operational ration pack provides a two course breakfast, lunch and a three course dinner, as well as a number of drinks, both hot and cold.

Once transferred from the MOD, FareShare will distribute them to their UK-wide charity network.

Roger West, Director Logistic Delivery Operating Centre at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the MOD’s procurement organisation, said:

I am delighted to be able to provide support for this important issue.

This solution will deliver food products where they are needed while also minimising waste. Our Corporate Social Responsibility is important to us and we continue to explore ways to do more; this is the right thing to do.

Charity Commission concludes its inquiry into a charity at the centre of a tax avoidance scheme