Tyre Dumping And The Law
Tyre dumping is illegal. Tyres, of any type, are the only product in the UK which legally must be completely reused and recycled as they don’t break down or decompose. Therefore dumping tyres, is bad for the environment, and is illegal. Knowing this, it may surprise you to discover that the fine received by the country’s worst tyre dumper was as little as £122.
Unbelievably he spent two years dumping tyres, resulting in more than a quarter of a million pounds of environmental damage. He also earned an estimated £2.5 million via illegally dumping these tyres throughout Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Worcestershire and Yorkshire.
Despite such a large debt to society, and a seemingly well-filled pocket, after pleading guilty to six charges, he was sentenced to only 15 months in jail (of which he only served five months), and is only required to pay back £122. Apparently this was because that sum was the only available asset left in the account linked to his company. At the same time as he is paying this princely sum (and he was given almost six months to pay it), tyre dealerships where tyres have been illegally tipped on their forecourts need to pay five-figure sums to have them disposed of properly, even though it wasn’t their fault to start with.