Man given prison sentence for illegally dumping 367 tonnes of waste

A man has been sentenced to nine months in prison for illegally depositing and storing 367 tonnes of waste at two sites near residential areas.

Thomas Coulter, 46, of Alliance Court in Belfast had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawfully depositing waste and one of keeping unlawful waste.

He admitted collecting waste from homes and businesses before depositing it at two unlicensed sites on the Crumlin Road during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The waste was later removed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) at public expense.

The dumping sparked protests from residents in 2020, with locals saying rats and flies had become so bad that some people had left their homes.

Waste was deposited at a unit in Edenderry Industrial Estate and at a site beside a car wash on the Crumlin Road.

Coulter was sentenced on Thursday at Belfast Crown Court to three concurrent nine-month prison terms, one for each offence.

The court heard his illegal waste collection service was advertised on social media under the names A1 Recycling Ltd and Bin It Ltd.

Coulter admitted operating an unlicensed waste collection business during the pandemic, charging customers between £20 and £30 to remove household waste.

Judge Philip Gilpin said the offending was "deliberate in nature" and described the case as one of "high culpability".

He said there was a "risk of harm" from the dumping and that it had caused "upset and inconvenience" to nearby residents.

A spokesperson for NIEA's environmental crime unit said the sentencing sends a clear message that "waste crime will not be tolerated".

"The illegal handling and disposal of waste undermines legitimate businesses, damages the environment, and puts communities at risk," they said.

The spokesperson added that NIEA will continue to pursue custodial sentences for those involved in "significant waste criminality".