Mr Francis Anthony Heaton from Manchester was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to dumping 100 tonnes of pungent processed household waste on the site of the Kingfisher Special School in Oldham.
The school had been left with a £22,197 bill for removal.
A school representative stated to the police that the gates were cut open to allow access for the waste to be deposited on the piece of land, which was used for parking. The waste disrupted the education of pupils, some of whom had life-limiting conditions, for two weeks. Fly infestation and risk of disease meant pupils could not use any outdoor education facilities.
The school was helped by Oldham Council to remove the waste from its site, but was left to pay the cost of removal – equivalent to an annual salary of a teaching assistant or the school's annual budget for learning resources.
“This case demonstrates how seriously the Agency takes illegal waste crime,“ said Mark Easedale, area environment manager for the Environment Agency. “We take robust enforcement action against those who deliberately ignore the law to protect communities and the environment. Heaton put the welfare of the pupils at risk and disrupted their education. This case is particularly disturbing as the Kingfisher Special School were made to pay to clear the waste.“
Image credit: Alamy
