Christopher Garrett has been jailed for 32 months after he dumped around 12,000 tonnes of controlled mixed construction and demolition waste, including asbestos, on a floodplain in Devon.
The Environment Agency said Garrett, 64, is thought to be the “worst offender” it has seen in Devon and Cornwall for the quantity of asbestos he illegally disposed of.
Garrett pleaded guilty to running a waste facility without a permit, and for disposing of waste material, namely asbestos, in a manner likely to harm the environment or human health.
He was sentenced to 32 months in prison, of which he will serve half, and ordered to pay over £200,000 as part of a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation sum.
Exeter Crown Court heard that Garrett repeatedly imported waste onto his land despite being prosecuted previously and receiving multiple warnings from the Environment Agency.
During sentencing, Judge Adkin described the offences as “industrial scale environmental contamination committed by an individual”.
The Court heard that between July 2018 and May 2022 around 12,000 tonnes of controlled waste (mixed construction and demolition waste) was deposited on land designated as a floodplain at Garrett’s home, alongside the A380 dual carriageway.
He burnt some of the waste and buried large quantities of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM), posing a risk to the environment and human health, the Environment Agency said.
