Man Fined £2,000 After Eynesbury House Clearance Waste Traced

A man has been ordered to pay more than £2,000 in fines and costs after waste removed from a house clearance in Eynesbury, near St Neots, was found dumped and set on fire down a farm track in Cambridgeshire.

Jess Holmes, trading as JH Improvements, had been paid £1,800 to clear the contents of a property following the death of the homeowner last May. Instead of being disposed of correctly, the waste was later discovered burnt out on farmland off Parsons Drove, near Whitecross Road in Wilburton.

East Cambridgeshire District Council said its waste and environmental services officer found the smouldering waste following a tip-off. Items at the scene included furniture, books, electrical equipment, a computer tower, medication and identification belonging to the deceased woman.

The officer reported noticing an acrid smell typical of burning plastics and upholstery, raising immediate concerns about the potential drift of toxic particles and the risk to the environment and human health.

Holmes was later interviewed by the council and told officers he had engaged a contractor to remove the waste. However, he was unable to provide a waste carrier’s licence or a valid waste transfer note.

At Cambridge Magistrates’ Court, Holmes was found guilty of waste duty of care offences under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The court heard that the offences included failing to hold the correct waste carrier documentation and failing to take reasonable measures to prevent controlled waste from being disposed of by burning.

He was fined £400 and ordered to pay £904.64 in council costs, £550 in compensation to cover the cost of clearing the waste, and a £160 victim surcharge — bringing the total to £2,014.64.

Commenting on the case, Councillor Julia Huffer, chair of East Cambridgeshire District Council’s operational services committee, said:

“We take all offences relating to the illegal dumping of waste extremely seriously, including breaches of the waste duty of care. We all have a duty to protect the environment and prevent harm to it. We are pleased that the court has recognised the seriousness of this incident and applied a suitable sanction.”