Illegal green belt scrapyard boss told to pay back £150k

Andrew Taff launched his unauthorised scrapyard on South Staffordshire green belt land, despite not having any planning permission.

But the 59-year-old must now return his financial gains from operating A5 Tyres illegally for seven years.

Councillor Roger Lees, South Staffordshire Council’s cabinet member for regulatory services, said: “This case highlights the patient and diligent work of our legal team and enforcement officers.

“As a council, we will not hesitate to prosecute people who carry out unauthorised activities no matter how long it takes.

“I’m delighted that the seriousness of the offence has been recognised by the courts and that this successful prosecution will result in confiscated criminal assets benefiting the community instead and go towards buying more CCTV cameras to catch fly-tippers.”

Taff was served with an enforcement notice by the council’s planning enforcement team in November 2011, which ordered him to clear the Hatherton site, cease trading and stop using it as a storage facility for vehicles, parts and skips.

Taff, of Wharf Lane, Burntwood, decided to appeal the notice but was unsuccessful and given a further 12 months to comply, but he failed to do so and continued to make ‘no effort’ to cease operations at the Four Crosses site, despite visits from the council in 2013 and 2014.

The defendant refused access to the council’s enforcement team on one occasion, which forced them to apply for a warrant.

He admitted three counts of failing to comply with an enforcement notice on July 26 this year and has since ceased operations at the site.

He was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay £28,280 costs when he appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on October 25.

The council will be handed £28,000 of the confiscated cash, with the remaining funds split between the Home Office, the court and financial investigators at Birmingham City Council.