WIREDGOV

Christopher Garrett buried asbestos in floodplain in what is thought to be the worst offence of its kind in Devon and Cornwall.

Devon man Christopher Garrett has been jailed for 32 months after he dumped thousands of tonnes of waste, including asbestos, on land by his home, in a floodplain near Kingsteignton in Devon. He was also ordered to pay a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation sum of over £200,000.

Garrett is thought to be the worst offender the Environment Agency has seen in Devon and Cornwall for the quantity of asbestos he illegally disposed of.

Exeter Crown Court heard that Garrett, aged 64, of Little Lindridge Cottage, Kingsteignton, repeatedly imported waste onto his land, despite being prosecuted previously and receiving multiple warnings from the Environment Agency.

Following yesterday’s hearing he was sentenced to a total of 32 months in prison, of which he will serve half, after pleading guilty to charges of 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.

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 it and buried large quantities of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM), posing a risk to the environment and to human health.  

The investigation established that Garrett had received hundreds of thousands of pounds for the illegal tipping and that it would cost at least £2.5M to remediate the site. His combined financial benefit from the offending was put at £2.88M, including the remediation costs. He was ordered to pay back the value of his available assets of £200,885.

In 2016 Garrett had received a two-year suspended prison sentence for allowing asbestos waste to be disposed at the site without a permit, but in 2019, the Environment Agency heard that he was again importing waste to his land.  

Despite multiple warnings and an enforcement notice, Garrett ignored all instructions to stop his illegal activities. Officers visited the site several times, including on one occasion with a police escort due the hostile nature of the defendant towards Environment Agency staff.

Garrett was prosecuted in early 2022 for an offence under the Public Order Act for his behaviour towards Environment Agency officers.

The Environment Agency then carried out a surveillance operation to establish the true scale of his illegal activities.

In May 2022 a warrant was obtained allowing a search of Garrett’s property and extensive site investigations using heavy machinery. Bags containing asbestos were found buried in the ground and the site was riddled with smaller fragments of this hazardous waste. Records and documents obtained by Enforcement Officers established that Garrett had imported waste to his land during the period of his suspended sentence, and that he had made thousands of pounds from his illegal activities. He was arrested and interviewed by Environment Agency officers but answered “no comment” to all questions. 

During sentencing, Judge Adkin told Garrett: “You were unable to resist the lure of significant sums of money” and described the offences as “industrial scale environmental contamination committed by an individual.”

Following the hearing, an Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Garrett is a repeat offender who showed no care for the environment or human health. He took no notice of the previous warnings given by the courts and the Environment Agency and imported hazardous waste, burying it to make a quick profit.

“We are extremely pleased that he has now been brought to book and are working with our partners to establish what will happen to the site going forward. We would like to remind everyone who produces, transports or disposes of waste that they have a duty of care to ensure it doesn’t end up at a site like this.”

Anyone who suspects illegal waste activity can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.