A MARY TAVY tree surgeon was ordered to pay £1,162 in fines and costs for burning leylandii branches on a bonfire on Dartmoor.

The Environment Agency bought a case against Roy Turner of Bal Lane, after an officer investigated reports of illegal waste burning in Mary Tavy.

Plymouth magistrates heard that as the officer entered the village in April, he saw a large fire burning on land adjacent to Horndon Road. The fire contained waste wood and branches and large amounts of smoke that were drifting towards nearby houses.

Inquiries revealed the site was used by Turner and when questioned he said he routinely used the land to store and dispose of waste wood from his business by burning. He admitted an Environment Agency officer had previously warned him not to import waste to the site for disposal.

He pleaded guilty to two offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, including depositing and disposing of controlled waste, namely leylandii tree trimmings, at Mary Tavy on land that did not have an environmental permit, and a further offence under the Control of Pollution Amendment Act.

Turner also admitted transporting waste from his business to the site without registering as a waste carrier despite being advised by the Agency that he needed to.

He was fined £300 and ordered to pay £862 costs.

"It is important waste is stored and disposed of correctly to control any risk of harm to the environment and human health. This defendant had ample opportunity to become compliant, but chose to ignore the advice he was given and continued to operate outside of the law," said David French for the Environment Agency.