A Derbyshire recycling company has been ordered to pay nearly £90,000 after breaching environmental regulations. Johnsons Aggregates and Recycling Ltd, based in Ilkeston, was fined £40,000 and told to cover costs of £49,886.75 following a prosecution by the Environment Agency.
The case centred on a breach of the company’s environmental permit, which required all waste to be contained within its site boundary. An investigation began in March 2021 after complaints about dust, odour, and noise at Hallam Fields Industrial Estate. Inspectors found that large quantities of ash (commonly used in construction) had been deposited on neighbouring land without the appropriate authorisation.
Although the company initially claimed the material was placed with the neighbouring landowner’s permission, it later admitted that its actions fell outside the permit’s conditions. The Environment Agency issued a compliance notice instructing the firm to remove the waste and operate within permitted limits.
By January 2022, inspectors found that waste still covered around five acres despite partial removal. The court found that the company had failed to meet its obligations to clean up the site within the set timeframe, resulting in the fine and costs imposed by Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.
