A MAN from St Austell who repeatedly ignored warnings to clear his illegal recycling site and stop importing and transferring waste has been prosecuted by the Environment Agency.

Jake Bell, 38, of Pellymounter Road, St Austell who trades at S&J Recycling, based at Tresaddern Farm, St Columb, Cornwall, appeared before Truro Magistrates Court on Thursday, August 14.

Bell pleaded guilty to three charges. He was also sentenced for an unrelated offence of causing actual bodily harm.

In total he was given 22 months in prison, suspended for two years, ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work, costs of £480 and is also subject to a 7pm to 7am curfew for four months.

The Court heard in June 2023, Environment Agency officers visited the site to carry out an inspection. They found mixed wastes in an area approximately 40 metres by 25 metres in piles that included treated wood, metal, plastics, appliances, cables, bin bags, rubble, soil, furniture, tiles, around 110 mattresses and numerous pallets.

There were two flatbed trucks in the yard and the officers found evidence that burning had been taking place on site.

Bell, the defendant operating as S&J Recycling, then arrived on site and was cautioned. He said he was a licensed waste carrier, that it was his yard and that he collected waste and brought it back to the site. He claimed his intention was to put the waste into skips to be taken away, but it was very expensive to do.

The EA explained that there were no permits or exemptions in place at the site allowing for the storage or treatment of waste and that he was operating an illegal waste site. Bell was told to cease importing waste and that the site must be cleared of waste.

In March 2024, an EA drone flight located a site where there appeared to be a large amount of mixed waste. The site was at the rear of on an industrial estate in Roche, St Austell.

The area was filled with mixed wastes including vehicles, tyres, construction waste, appliances, mattresses, batteries, gas bottles, furniture and commercial washing machines and tumble dryers. There was also evidence of the burning of waste, including mattresses.

The registered landowner was traced and he informed the EA that since December 2023 he had rented the land to S&J Recycling. The commercial washing machines and tumble dryers were traced to the Headland Hotel who confirmed that S&J Recycling had taken the appliances, paying £300 for them.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Bell thought he could flout the law by operating an illegal site. Operating illegally undermines legitimate businesses, and our dedicated Area Enforcement Team won’t hesitate to go after such illegal activity. “Customers paid good money to have their waste taken away, believing it was being disposed of legally, but instead he was just dumping it.”

Bell admitted during interview that he was accepting and sorting waste at the premises for money, but he claimed he was keen to clear the site, operate legitimately with the right permit and infrastructure, but he had no idea as to what is required.

The following month, another EA inspection took place and officers discovered that reasonable progress had been made to clear waste from the area.

This was followed up in August with an EA request to Bell to provide documentation of where he had disposed of the waste. This was never followed up by Bell.