A recycling site boss has again been fined for failing to remove a mountain of illegally dumped mattresses.

Lewis Bertram, who was trading as Eco Matters at Smarden Business Estate, has been ordered to pay a further £15,000, plus £1,400 in costs at Canterbury Magistrates' Court after already receiving punishments earlier this year.

The case was part of the Environment Agency’s prosecution against Bertram, which was heard at Canterbury Crown Court in January.

Following the crown court trial, Bertram was handed two six-month sentences, suspended for a year, 300 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £6,000 costs to the Environment Agency.

This latest hearing was in relation to two further charges, both for non-compliance with two Section 59 EPA notices to remove illegally deposited waste, which could not be heard in January.

He was ordered to pay £7,500 for each charge plus £1,400 in costs.

When companies store waste as part of their business, some wastes, which are normally more hazardous and need more care when storing, need an environmental permit.

Bertram was allowed to hold and recycle mattresses at the business estate without the permit. However, he still had to meet a number on conditions including the amount of waste being stored and the safety of where it is.

After a number of Environment Agency visits in 2015 and 2016, he was found not to be storing them correctly, which posed a fire risk.

Alan Cansdale from the Environment Agency said: “His actions showed disregard for local residents and businesses, and put the environment and local amenity at risk.

"He hasn’t cleared the site, so we are using our enforcement powers that require the landowner to clear the site by November.

“While we will work with businesses to help them operate within the law, in cases where individuals consistently fail to comply we have no hesitation in prosecuting them.

“Anyone with concerns about a waste site they think may be operating illegally can call the Environment Agency hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.”