Gardener must pay £4,000 for tipping in nature reserve

Cllr Judith Guthrie

A WARRINGTON council chief has spoken of the “clear message” that has been sent out to irresponsible gardeners by a £4,000 fine on a man who dumped waste materials in a nature reserve.
Landscape gardener Christopher McVey dumped the waste at Rixton Clay Pits, Warrington – a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
He was ordered to pay £4,065.81 in fines, costs and compensation after pleading guilty to illegally depositing waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Cllr Judith Guthrie (pictured) the borough council’s lead member for environment and public protection, said: “We simply do not tolerate this kind of environmental crime in our town. We worked closely with Natural England to be able to prosecute this case and it is a clear message that people cannot abuse our green spaces and Sites of Special Scientific Interest and we will take action when necessary.
“We are committed to maintaining and protecting all our parks and green spaces for our residents to enjoy.”
The court was told Rixton Clay Pits is one of the most important SSSIs in Cheshire and is noted for its habitat of fen, swamp, meadow and wet woodland.
It also supports a wide range of species and in particular, hosts the largest population of great crested newts in Cheshire.
McVey excavated a garden in Manchester Road, Warrington and tipped tons of waste onto the site.
Warrington Borough Council staff and Natural England were alerted when the large mound of waste was discovered on the site. The council’s enforcement team then carried out an investigation and was able to proceed with a prosecution.
Judge Brigid Knight said that McVey had been “negligent in his actions and carried out the dumping of the waste without any authority”.
She fined him £500 and ordered him to pay costs, victim surcharge and compensation order bringing the total to 4,065.81
Mike Burke, Natural England’s area manager said: “It’s always a disappointment when Sites of Special Scientific are damaged. It means that some of England’s most important wildlife has been destroyed.
“We hope that the affected area will now be able to recover as far as possible and look forward to working closely with Warrington Borough Council to minimise the impact of the waste on the affected area”.