Martin Hindmarsh faces penalties for operating an illegal waste site filled with hazardous materials near Middlesbrough.
Martin, age 38, is from Stokesley. He appeared in court on February 4th and admitted contempt of court for a second time by failing to clear waste from Tame Road. He pleaded guilty before, on November 19, 2024.
He operated a waste site at Owens Road during the investigation about Tame Road, which led to the court sentencing him for the Owens Road site. He got 18 weeks in jail, suspended for 18 months and must do 15 days of rehab, 250 hours of unpaid work, and pay costs of £7,506.60. For contempt, he was fined £5,000 and must clear the site or return to court.
Hindmarsh directed B8 Waste Services Ltd, a company dissolved in October 2023. In December 2022, he rented a unit at Owens Road. In June 2023, officials got reports of waste there. Cleveland Fire and the Environment Agency got the info.
Officers visited the site together and found it full of waste and a fire risk. They saw fridges, freezers, wood, metal, and gas canisters. Hindmarsh lacked an Environment Agency permit, which are needed for waste facilities.
Officials told him to stop immediately and ordered him to remove all waste by July 14, 2023. They also asked for waste transfer notes to track waste movement legally. On July 14th, officials checked the site and found the unit shut, but more waste was outside.
Another visit in August confirmed this, with the amount of waste having increased even more. In December, the agency wrote to Hindmarsh, asking for waste transfer notes after July 1st for waste leaving until December 20th, and wanted the notes by December 29th.
Officers met Hindmarsh at the site in February. Most waste was gone, but about forty fridges and freezers remained. Hindmarsh provided the waste transfer notes late, giving them six weeks past the deadline.
At Tame Road, Hindmarsh and his company, B8 Waste Management Limited, were fined in July 2023 and paid costs of almost £26,000 total. He had to clear the site by December 31, 2023 and lost the right to direct a company for two years.
In July 2024, he went to court again and admitted he did not follow the order and failed to clear the site by the deadline. He was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay costs of £2,750. He said he would clear it in two months.
Agency officers visited in August and November, but the waste was still there, even on February 4, 2025, the day of sentencing. In court, Hindmarsh said he cleared Owens Road and borrowed money to clear Tame Road. He expected it to be cleared within a week, and his lawyer said prison would hurt his family.
Gary Wallace works for the Environment Agency. He said they tackle waste crime seriously and will take action against those involved. Hindmarsh ignored the law completely, and the court saw this disregard.
Bypassing rules ends up being more costly.