RISKS 21ST June 2008, reported that two men have been jailed for a £1.2 million flytipping scam which saw thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste including asbestos dumped at bogus construction sites emblazoned with mock health and safety notices.
James Kelleher, from Dagenham and Patrick Anderson, from the Irish Republic, were accused of dumping over 14,600 tonnes of waste - the equivalent of 750 lorry loads - at 15 sites in London and Essex.
Kelleher, 40, and Anderson, 51, were sentenced to 14 months and 22 months respectively, for conspiracy to unlawfully deposit controlled waste.
Mr Justice Philpott ordered the men to spend half their sentences in custody and half on licence.
For the first time, the Environment Agency employed forensic techniques used in other criminal cases - financial and handwriting analysis - to make the link between payments, lorries and people. The techniques were needed because the scam was highly sophisticated, including the use of false identities.
Kelleher and Anderson broke in to waste ground awaiting development, where they put up hoardings with fictitious company names, health and safety notices and a mobile phone number for members of the public to call if the so-called construction work bothered them. The pair wore reflective jackets, hard hats and carried surveying equipment. Behind the official-looking exterior, however, there was no construction work - just more tipping.
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