The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted a Derbyshire man who must pay nearly £37,000 in fines and costs for operating waste sites illegally.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday 8 October 2025, Thomas Reilly, 74, of Mill Acre Close, Ilkeston, Derby, was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to 4 offences.
These offences were for operating sites without the necessary environmental permits and illegally depositing waste on land between 2016 and 2023.
He was fined a total of £19,248, ordered to pay costs of £17,500 and a victim surcharge of £120.
The court heard that Reilly traded as Tom/Thomas Reilly Groundworks.
He admitted operating an illegal waste site at Top Farm, Barton Lane, Barton-in-Fabis near Nottingham between 2016 and 2021, where he deposited 180 tonnes of inert soil without an environmental permit.
The investigation by the Environment Agency included a drone survey at Top Farm.
The aerial images revealed a variety of waste materials were being stored including black bin bags, bricks, concrete, wooden fence or shed panels and green waste.
A report by the team said it appeared to be a landfill site without the necessary permissions or environmental protection infrastructure. This would include impermeable lining plus leachate and gas extraction.
It was accepted that the defendant was not responsible for all the waste deposited at this site. But he admitted that he had left his digger there for considerable periods of time.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
This successful prosecution sends a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal waste operations that put our environment and communities at risk.
Operating waste facilities without proper permits is not just about regulatory compliance - it's about protecting public health and preventing environmental damage.
Those who choose to operate outside the law gain an unfair commercial advantage over legitimate businesses.
If you have information about suspected illegal waste activities you should ring our 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
Reilly also admitted operating an illegal waste site on land at Oxton Road in Southwell between 2020 and 2021. He imported, deposited and disposed of 8 lorry loads of waste soils without an environmental permit.
The court was told that Environment Agency officers had spotted Reilly's lorry leaving land on Oxton Road.
An inspection revealed that 6 deep pits had been dug in the ground plus a stable block filled with white goods including fridges and bags containing books and magazines.
The defendant stated the waste was imported as finishing and levelling works to fill holes that had been dug on the land by persons unknown.
Between April and July 2023, the defendant unlawfully deposited 160 tonnes of waste soil on a parcel of land at Winking Hill, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Leics.
In April 2023, the landowner had found deposits of waste and began monitoring the site. In July 2023, the landowner approached the defendant who admitted being responsible.
In September 2023, the defendant was witnessed by Environment Agency officers to reverse into open fields at Flawforth Lane, Ruddington, Notts, and to empty his lorry load.
Checks established that there was no permit or exemption in place to deposit such waste soil.
In mitigation, it was pointed out the defendant was a man of clean character.