Illegal waste site family ordered to pay back money
Environment AgencyA family behind an illegal waste site in a Lincolnshire village have been ordered to pay back nearly £70,000.
It comes after they were jailed in 2024 for their involvement in illegally dumping thousands of tonnes of waste on Fen Lane, Long Bennington, near Grantham, to be burnt and buried at night.
Joshua Canner, 31, his father Paul Canner, 55, and his mother Judith Canner, 56, of Bilstone, Leicestershire, were ordered to pay confiscation costs at a proceeds of crime hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday.
Laura Richardson, from the Environment Agency, said the case showed the agency would "come after them to get back the profits they made from their illegal activities".
Environment Agency The agency raided the site in April 2020 alongside police, following repeated complaints from nearby residents and several fire service call-outs.
An estimated 11,000 tonnes was dumped there over seven months, and the clean-up operation cost £1.2m.
In 2024, Judge Steven Coupland described Paul Canner as the "prime mover" behind the venture, seeking out rubbish to be illegally dumped. His role was aggravated by the fact he held a waste disposal licence "so well knew the rules".
On Monday, Coupland told Joshua Canner he must pay £55,723, Paul Canner £8,294, and Judith Canner £3,120 in confiscation orders.
In 2024, Paul Canner was jailed for 26 months after pleading guilty to operating an illegal waste site.
Judith Canner was jailed for 16 months after pleading guilty to knowingly causing the deposit of waste at the site. The court heard she had organised a trail of false paperwork and had handled the financial side of the operation.
Joshua Canner was jailed for 16 months after pleading guilty to the same offence.
Six other defendants were handed sentences at the time for their involvement with the site.
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