Waste boss jailed for breaches of regulations

Mark Eric Butterworth, 51, of Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, was sentenced to a custodial term by Bradford Crown Court in May but he was not sent down because he failed to turn up at court on the day.

A judge issued a warrant for his arrest and on Tuesday he was brought before the court.

Investigations by the Environment Agency, in 2010 and 2012, revealed Butterworth’s company, Springwood Trading, of Todmorden, was operating a waste transfer station at its Pudsey Road site without an environmental permit or planning permission.

The firm, a registered waste carrier, was permitted to collect skips of waste for delivery to properly regulated waste sites, but surveillance revealed waste being taken to and handled at Springwood Mill, which had no permit.

Investigations revealed that domestic and industrial waste was being sorted and deposited at the site.

Environment Agency officers also found waste being illegally stored at another site, at Eldon Street, Todmorden, in October 2010.

During later investigations, skips of waste were stored on public streets so they wouldn’t be seen being taken in and out of Springwood Mill.

During a trial, the court heard the company had saved around £55,000 by avoiding permit application fees, subsistence fees, and installation of protective infrastructure.

Butterworth, who owns the Springwood Mill land and was running the firm as a director, admitted permitting the operation of a waste facility without an appropriate permit. He was found guilty of several counts relating to waste regulations.

He was convicted in May 2010 of operating a waste transfer station on the same land during 2007 without a permit.