Illegal waste site being cleared after its owner fined by court
An illegal waste site in Wyke is being cleared after its owner was ordered to pay over £6,000 by a court.
Andrew Leadbeater, 57, pleaded guilty to operating an unauthorised waste site and failing to clear the site when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates Court last Friday.
He was fined and ordered to clear the site, on Wyke Lane in Wyke, within two months.
Clearance of the site is currently underway.
The Environment Agency had brought the prosecution, and a spokesperson said the illegal waste storage had “impacted Wyke residents for some time.”
Complaints about fly tipping and burning at the site were first made to Bradford Council in 2023. During a visit by the Council in June of that year, Leadbeater said some of the waste had been fly-tipped on his land, and admitted the burning.
He said he would stop burning, and arrange for the site to be cleared.
In June the following year, Leadbeater contacted the council to complain that fly-tipping had taken place on his land.
The council visited and saw a significant amount of waste and referred it to the Environment Agency.
Environment Agency officers first visited the site in September 2024, where they saw fire-damaged trailers as well as a large amount of mixed waste including household waste, paints, engine oils, tyres and construction waste.
Officers later spoke with Leadbeater, who said he was aware of the waste, but didn’t know who had deposited it. He said he’d tried to secure the site and agreed to remove the waste as a matter of urgency.
Follow up visits in November 2024 and March 2025 revealed no waste had been removed. The Environment Agency issued a notice requiring Leadbeater to clear all waste from the land by 22 September, 2025. This was not complied with.
Leadbeater was asked to attend an interview with the Environment Agency in October 2025 but he failed to attend.
At Friday’s court appearance, Leadbeater was given two months to clear the waste and sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge.
He was ordered to pay £6,067 in costs and a victim surcharge of £26.
After the case Ben Hocking, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said: “This illegal waste operation had impacted local residents for some time and I’m pleased it’s now being cleared.
“We’re cracking down on waste crime across the sector and we will take action against those who breach the law.
“It’s important anyone who has information about illegal waste activity reports to us as soon as possible so we can investigate.”