A man has been fined £2,200 for stopping Environment Agency officials inspecting his scrapyard.
Autobits, on Brampton Road, Longtown, was earmarked for a routine inspection but David Edwin Baty refused entry to the officers.
The Environment Agency inspects sites like Autobits that have environmental permits. Inspections allow the Environment Agency to assess the operator’s compliance with permit conditions and ensure the environment is protected at all times.
He was prosecuted by the agency for obstruction. Baty failed to appear at Carlisle Magistrates Court and in his absence, was fined £2,200 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000, plus an £190 victim surcharge.
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Baty refused to acknowledge our powers of entry and intentionally stopped our officers from accessing his site for a routine waste inspection. On a second visit to the site, officers did gain access but only by the use of force, authorised by a warrant granted by Carlisle Magistrates’ Court.
“It’s really important that our officers are given timely access to sites covered by permits to allow us to check they are operating in a way that protects the environment.”
