Man pays heavy price after remains of cannabis farm found dumped in forest

Peter Darmanin, 50, of Penyfordd, Caerphilly, pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates’ Court to an offence of failing to comply with his Duty Of Care, when disposing of waste under s34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

He told Neath Port Talbot Council Waste Enforcement Officers that through his contractor, he arranged for the waste to be removed by another business, from a house in Margaret Street, Blaengwynfi, of which Mr Darmanin was the landlord. The waste included plastic bags and pots of soil.

However the Waste Disposal Company could not be traced and no waste transfer notes were provided. Mr Darmanin also told officers that he did not contact the company directly to ensure they had a waste carrier licence or to check where they were disposing of the waste.

Mr Darmanin was sentenced by the Magistrates to a fine of £800, as well as a prosecution costs order of £793.91 and a victim surcharge of £320, totalling £1,913.91 for the offence.

Cllr Scott Jones, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetscene, said: “This is another successful prosecution for an environmental protection offence, thanks to our zero-tolerance approach.

“We are committed to ridding our communities of this anti-social behaviour and I urge anyone who is paying someone to remove waste to check that person is fully licensed and registered to do so because the consequences could be a heavy fine and costs as in this case.”

(Lead image: Neath Port Talbot Council)