ESG Enforcement Tracker

Key facts:

In August 2022, Shane Boutwell was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment at Chelmsford Crown Court and ordered to remove the unlawful waste on his release. He had pleaded guilty to operating a waste management facility in breach of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 and disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health contrary to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended). Mr Boutwell was said to have failed to engage with the EA when the issues were first identified in 2020.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Mr Boutwell began to remove the waste and restore the land at both Lower Burnham Road and Bradwell Wick. EA officers monitored his progress during regular site visits, deploying an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV, or drone).

Mr Boutwell was then ordered back to court for consideration of claims for prosecution costs. He appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court in January 2024 and was ordered to pay £85,000 in EA costs together with a victim surcharge of £156.