Christopher Williams jailed for operating an illegal waste site near Rowlands Gill. It posed a fire risk and violated permits.
Christopher Williams, age 66, admitted his guilt. He operated the site without proper permits at Whinfield Industrial Estate, located in Rowlands Gill, near Gateshead. The court sentenced Williams to 44 weeks.
The Environment Agency brought the case against him. His initial 26-week sentence increased because he violated a prior suspended sentence, which was also for environmental crimes.
The agency inspected Williams’ site. His firm, LCA Community Charity, ran it, and they found lots of waste, posing a fire risk. It included fridges, furniture, and other items; crucially, the “charity” wasn’t actually a registered charity.
Inspectors first visited on November 17, 2022. They saw waste piled twelve feet high inside a shed. Williams needed to remove all waste by January 16, 2023, though he and LCA did have waste carrier licenses.
Officials told Williams about waste exemptions, which allowed limited recycling. But, when they returned January 17, 2023, waste had increased, especially wooden furniture.
Visits in 2023 found waste still there. Williams once said half the fridges went to Africa.
Old fridges are hazardous waste and need special disposal facilities. Williams lacked required waste transfer notes. Inspectors returned in September 2024, and the site still operated illegally.
The Environment Agency’s Gary Wallace commented that the waste was illegal and a fire hazard. He said Williams had many chances to comply and ignored the environment.
Wallace added that permits protect the public and environment. He hopes this deters future illegal waste activity.
People can report illegal waste activity by calling the Environment Agency at 0800 807060.