Man who illegally dumped human waste avoids jail

A Herefordshire man has avoided jail after illegally dumping human waste from his portable toilet hire business.

Neil Griffiths, 56, of Stone Drive, Colwall, was handed a eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, after he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Monday.

Griffiths, who traded as Three Counties Toilet Hire, was investigated after members of the public reported seeing blue chemical toilet waste being discharged from one of his vehicles on the A449 at Much Marcle, in July 2023.

Council officers attended the scene and found evidence of human waste, toilet tissue and chemical residue, with waste entering a roadside drain.

Officers traced the vehicle back to the business premises where they uncovered an unlicensed and unsecured cesspit with a strong smell of human excrement.

Subsequent testing of the waste found traces of DNA, providing key evidence human waste from the business had been illegally disposed there.

Officers also established Griffiths had failed to produce sufficient waste transfer records to demonstrate waste generated over a long period had been disposed of legally.

Griffiths had pleaded guilty to two offences of illegally depositing controlled waste, one count of depositing land without an environmental permit, and one offence of handling waste with taking reasonable measures.

On sentencing, he was also ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and pay Herefordshire Council's full prosecution costs of £8,290.

The authority's head of public protection, Charles Yarnold, said: "Fly-tipping involving human waste has the potential to cause significant harm to the environment and to public health.

"This was a complex investigation which relied on information provided by members of the public alongside the extensive work of council officers over a number of years.

"We welcome the court's recognition of the seriousness of these offences and remain committed to investigating environmental crime and taking robust enforcement action where there is sufficient evidence."

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.