700 lorry-loads of waste dumped on golf course

Two haulage firms in West Sussex have been fined £37,000 for dumping banned waste at a golf club near Gatwick airport.

The owners of Rusper Golf Club in Newdigate near Dorking were also fined £2,000 for allowing the waste to be deposited on its land, in what a judge called “reckless” behaviour.

An anonymous tip-off led the environment agency (EA) to discover almost 700 lorry-loads of waste had been offloaded illegally at the club after it received planning permission to raise part of an embankment on the driving range to catch stray golf balls.

Crawley haulier Cook and Son and Bell and Sons Construction near Horsham both dumped the rubble, which included glass, wood, plastic, tarmac, brick, concrete and other materials. Similar loads were also dropped around the course and nearby.

When interviewed, the club’s company secretary said she was unaware the work needed a permit and Bell and Sons director Duncan Bell said he didn’t check if a permit was required or where his firm’s HGVs were dumping the waste.

Christopher Cook, of Cook and Son, admitted his drivers left waste on the course and it was fined £24,000 with costs of £12,500. Bell and Sons Construction was fined £12,000 with costs of £8,000.

Jamie Hamilton, EA senior crime officer, said: “Companies must ensure the environment agency authorises any tipping of waste in advance.

“Cook and Son and Bell and Sons, both established operators, discarded the waste over five months without making any meaningful checks the golf course could accept it.”

[NB. photo is of a stock image, not dumped waste]