Illegal Waste Storage Led To Major Fire & Sentencing

A former waste site Director has been sentenced over illegal practices which lead to a major fire in Lancaster. The blaze, which broke out at Supa Skips in Lancaster in December 2023, was fuelled by abandoned waste and led to weeks of disruption. Cleanup costs exceeded £2 million, according to the Environment Agency (EA).

At Preston Crown Court, the court heard that thousands of tonnes of combustible material had been stored at the Lune Industrial Estate site, in breach of its permit conditions. Operations continued even after the EA suspended the site’s permit in February 2022 due to fire risk. Waste was still being accepted until October 2022, with the permit eventually revoked the following month. The Director received a 16-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Between September 2021 and October 2022, the Director deliberately breached permit limits, ran unpermitted waste sites, ignored enforcement notices, and stored waste unlawfully, the court was told. The Environment Agency stated “repeatedly and deliberately ignored enforcement action,” showing “no consideration for the environment or the community of Lancaster.” The Directors actions, it added, “led to a major fire that ultimately caused weeks of harm and disruption to local residents and businesses. The agency stressed that the case highlights its commitment to taking robust action against those operating outside environmental law.

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