AN ILLEGAL scrapyard owner has been ordered to pay £4,800 after pleading guilty to operating the site without a permit.

A court heard that Anthony Hanley, 34, also operates Cliff Autos, which deals with vehicles at the end of their running life.

To transport the scrap vehicle on to a site, operators need an environment permit for disposal of vehicle waste to ensure fluids do not seep into the ground or drainage systems.

In August 2016, Environment Agency officers attended the illegal site at King George Terrace, in Middlesbrough, where a sign offering to buy vehicles 'dead or alive' was visible, leading them to believe Hanley would buy scrap vehicles.

Officers noticed around 30 vehicles stored at the site and Hanley agreed to clear the premises within 28 days.

A month later, officers saw the number of cars had reduced and eventually cleared by December 2016.

However, in April 2017, the operation was once again in full swing, with more than 30 cars being stored, with some leaking fluid.

Hanley, of Marton Burn Road in Middlesbrough, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, March 20, and pleaded guilty to two charges of operating a scrapyard without a permit.

He was fined £800, ordered to pay costs of £4,000 and a victim surcharge of £80.