A LANDFILL operator has been fined £10,000 for breaching its environmental permit.

Sherburn Stone Company admitted accepting waste at its Crime Rigg Landfill, in Shadforth, near Durham, that did not have the correct paperwork.

At Darlington Magistrates’ Court, the firm was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,000 and a £120 victim surcharge.

The quarry, which sits on an aquifer, accepts only waste that does not biodegrade, such as soil, stones and bricks.

However, the Environment Agency found a waste operator, Alltrac, had taken advantage of a lack of proper testing to send plastic, wood and ceramics to the site.

Between June 2012 and May 2013, around 26,000 tonnes of waste was not properly tested.

Andrew Turner, environment manager at the Environment Agency, said: “It’s important that businesses handling waste comply with the conditions of their permit, in order to prevent harm to the environment.

“The outcome of this case highlights that the Environment Agency takes waste permitting very seriously and will take firm action to crack down on operators who fail to follow their duty of care responsibilities.”

The Environment Agency said since the incident Sherburn Stone has co-operated and taken measures to ensure the site is managed correctly in future.