Waste site cleared after illegal dumping investigation
An illegal waste site in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, has been cleared following a successful court case brought by the Environment Agency.
The image shows waste on the Sheffield site before it was cleared.
Concept Investments Limited’s director Austin Fitzgerald was ordered to remove waste from the land at Rutland Road, Sheffield, in April.
Both the company and Fitzgerald, as the director, had admitted offences related to allowing an illegal waste site to operate on land the company owns, knows as the Former Stanley Works.
The site has now been fully cleared, with mixed waste including fridges and other electrical items and inert waste such as soil and stones removed.
The order to clear the site was made during sentencing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 15 April, where the company and Fitzgerald were also ordered to pay fines and costs totalling more than £20,000.
The Environment Agency is stepping up its action on waste crime as part of its new 10 Point Plan - building on existing work and partnerships, the focused, sustained programme of action strengthens prevention, improves detection and delivers more consistent enforcement.
Last week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham set out government plans to tackle waste crime
The image shows the Sheffield site now it is cleared of waste.
Cracking down on ‘those flouting the regulations’
Ben Hocking, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire said:
Illegal waste operations impact on the environment and the lives of local residents and I’m pleased this site has now been fully cleared.
This should serve as a warning for landowners that if you allow illegal waste activity to take place on your land we will take action.
We are cracking down across the sector on those flouting the regulations.
The court heard that Concept Investments is the landlord of the site and allowed a waste site to operate without an environmental permit.
The Environment Agency first visited the site in July 2022 and found a large amount of mixed waste. In a follow up visit later in the year, the Agency told the occupier he could not store waste without a permit, and gave him six weeks to clear it.
In January 2023, officers inspected the site and found none of the waste had been cleared, and in fact new waste had accumulated. The Agency subsequently served a formal notice requiring the site to be cleared by 5 June, 2023. The notice was not complied with.
The Environment Agency made more requests for waste to stop being brought on to the site and for it to be cleared.
In late 2024 and early 2025, complaints were received about the burning of waste, and the operator was advised by Sheffield City Council to cease burning, which was impacting on local residents.
In March 2025, Fitzgerald was interviewed by the Environment Agency, where he said that he inspected the site regularly. Another visit in April 2025 revealed there was still waste present.
The company was fined £8,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and costs of £5,442, while Fitzgerald was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 140 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay costs of £5,442 and a victim surcharge of £114.
Another man, aged 38 and from Sheffield, has pleaded guilty to operating the illegal waste site and is due to be sentenced on 16 September.