Cratfield holiday rental home owner fined over £5,000 for environmental breaches

The owner of a holiday rental home in East Suffolk has been ordered to pay £5,160 in fines over environmental breaches.

Richard Boddy admitted to allowing rubbish to collect around the bin compound at Holly Tree Farm Barns in Cratfield.

He had been due to face trial at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Monday over two counts of failing to comply with requirements under section 47 of the Environmental Protection Act between June 7 to September 28, 2021.

Boddy, who lives in Barbados, was issued a notice in October 2020 by East Suffolk Council following several complaints about overflowing bins and excessive waste.

In some cases it was attracting wild animals.

The notice suggested that the waste be placed in receptacles of a suitable size and type and that none was left on the ground around the compound or on the nearby roads.

A subsequent site visit discovered loose litter and black refuse bags full of rubbish on the ground around the overflowing bins.

Boddy was fined £900 for each offence, plus £3,190 in legal costs and a £180 surcharge.

Councillor James Mallinder, East Suffolk Council cabinet member for the Environment, said: “There was simply not enough capacity for the waste being produced at these premises, and although this business had a trade waste agreement in place with East Suffolk Norse, it only covered the removal and disposal of waste from April to September."

He said the authority advised Boddy about the need to increase the capacity for storing rubbish and to extend the existing trade waste agreement but 'was not prepared to accept his requests for an ad hoc service and empty the bins on request during the winter months'.

Cllr Mallinder added: “This shameful behaviour is just not acceptable to Suffolk, the local community and our residents, and I hope this prosecution serves as a reminder of people’s responsibilities and that the council takes these matters very seriously.”

The court also heard that a contract had been made to ensure the site has the relevant bins for future waste.

Magistrates acknowledged that Boddy had gone to some effort to deal with the problem, but contact between the two parties had been strained.

They said the offences had been aggravated by the duration and number of complaints and could have been avoided by Boddy taking proper advice at an earlier stage.