In 2018, the Environment Agency launched an investigation into illegal dumping by a 'significant number of companies and individuals' at Stowey Quarry, a former limestone quarry near Chew Valley reservoir – a water supply for Bristol. We posted about it at the time.
This week, a contractor was jailed for illegally disposing of 100,000 tonnes of waste:
Much of the waste arriving at Stowey Quarry was misleadingly described as a ‘soil substitute’ in a deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules.
The illegal operation, which accepted waste from around England, was described at Bristol Crown Court as one of the most serious risks of harm in the country during the past 30 years.
Other defendants in the case are due to be sentenced later.
