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Companies and director fined a total of £14,000 for waste offences

Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners, Foyle Recyclers and one of its Directors were fined a total of £14,000 for illegal waste offences at Londonderry Crown Court today.
~ Monday, 21 February 2011

Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners was fined £3,000, Foyle Recyclers was fined a total of £10,000 for four breaches of waste management legislation and one of its Directors, Sinead O’Hara, was fined £1,000.

During previous confiscation proceedings in relation to benefit from criminal conduct each party was made the subject of a Confiscation Order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners Order was for £56,300.39, Foyle Recyclers Order was for £60,000 and Sinead O’Hara’s Order was for £28,302.27.

The charges were brought under the Waste and Contaminated Land Order (NI) 1997 to which each party had pleaded guilty in December 2009.

The case was the subject of an investigation by officers from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency regarding the operation of an unlicensed scrap yard at premises owned by Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners between November 2006 and November 2007.

Notes to editors:

1. This is the first confiscation order to have been obtained in the UK against a port authority.

2. The defendants were charged under the following Articles of the Waste and Contaminated Land Order (Northern Ireland) 1997:

  • Foyle Recyclers: One charge under Article 4( 1)( a) of depositing, or knowingly causing or permitting waste to be deposited without a waste management licence (charge £2,500) and three charges under Article 4(1)(b) of keeping, treating or disposing of waste without a waste licence (£2,500 for each charge), a total of £10,000.
  • Sinead O'Hara; £1,000 for one charge under Article 4(1)(b) (as above).
  • Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners: £3,000 for one charge under Article 4(1)(b) (as above).

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