Colin Scott, 29, of Acomb Court in Gateshead, appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 12 May where he pleaded guilty to depositing waste without a permit and obstructing Environment Agency officers attempting to carry out a site inspection.

He was fined £368 for the offences and ordered to pay £437 costs.

Prosecuting for the Environment Agency, solicitor Chris Bunting told the court that on Friday 23 October 2020, two Environment Agency officers investigating a suspected illegal waste site in Gateshead came across Scott illegally tipping waste wood on land at Leam Lane in Gateshead.

He confronted the officers and swore at them, forcing them to leave.

The court found the illegal deposit to have been reckless, as Scott mistakenly thought he was allowed to provide the wood waste to the land owner.

John Crowl, Enforcement Team leader for the Environment Agency in the North East, said:

Our officers are doing an important job investigating illegal waste deposits to protect the environment and ensure legitimate businesses are not undermined. It’s not acceptable for them to be subjected to abuse. We take offences such as this extremely seriously and we will always take appropriate action.