Darlington Skip Company Banned from Operating Waste Site

The Environment Agency (UK) has removed Albert Hill Skip Hire Ltd’s permit to operate a waste transfer station at Dodsworth Street in Darlington.

The permit was revoked as a result of the company’s poor compliance with permit conditions and its failure to do work to minimise the risk of serious pollution.

The Environment Agency served the notice to remove Albert Hill Skip Hire Ltd’s permit on 9 February 2012, but this was appealed by the company.

The appeal was heard by an Inspector from the Planning Inspectorate on 1 August 2012, although Albert Hill Skip Hire Ltd did not send a representative to the hearing. After considering the written evidence and inspecting the site, the Inspector ruled in favour of the Environment Agency on 20 August.

It means that Albert Hill Skip Hire Ltd will no longer be able to legally operate the waste transfer station on Dodsworth Street and has no permissions to run any other waste site.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We have already prosecuted this company for waste offences. We were of the opinion that Albert Hill Skip Hire Ltd would not comply with its permit conditions, so we have removed he permit.

“People have a duty of care to ensure their waste is properly dealt with at suitably authorised sites.

“The transfer station at Dodsworth Street is no longer a permitted site and anyone seeing the company taking waste onto the site should report it to our 24 hour free phone incident hotline 0800 80 70 60.”

This follows yesterday’s decision by Teesside Crown Court to find Albert Hill Skip Hire Ltd and Raymond Anthony Shepherd guilty of operating sites in Dodsworth Street and Whessoe Road, Darlington, between 2008 and 2010 without Environment Agency permits and breaching permit conditions at the Dodsworth Street site.

Albert Hill Skip Hire Ltd has three months to clear the waste off the Dodsworth Street site.