Farmer sentenced over illegal waste dump

A North Yorkshire farmer who allowed thousands of tonnes of waste to be dumped on his land has been sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The Environment Agency (EA) discovered Hayden Fortune, 50, operated a large-scale waste dump at Pyethornes Farm, Wigglesworth, near Settle, in May 2024.

EA officers found the site contained large amounts of shredded plastic, metals, electrical items and aerosols, with evidence of waste being buried and excavators working on site.

At York Magistrates' Court on 26 March, Fortune was sentenced to 20 days rehabilitation activity, ordered to pay costs of £10,000 and told to clear the site.

Fortune was also fined £2,500 for breaching an unrelated suspended prison sentence.

The court said Fortune must clear all waste from the site within two years and warned he would be brought back to court if he failed to do so.

Ben Hocking, area environment manager at the EA, said: "Fortune's deliberate offending showed a total disregard for the law, the environment, and the community where he lives.

"He repeatedly ignored warnings and notices issued by our officers, who have worked incredibly hard to take quick and decisive action against him.

"I hope this sends out the message to others that we are cracking down on waste crime and we will take action against those who breach the law."

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