A North Yorkshire farmer who allowed thousands of tonnes of waste to be dumped on his land has been sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.
The Environment Agency (EA) discovered Hayden Fortune, 50, operated a large-scale waste dump at Pyethornes Farm, Wigglesworth, near Settle, in May 2024.
EA officers found the site contained large amounts of shredded plastic, metals, electrical items and aerosols, with evidence of waste being buried and excavators working on site.
At York Magistrates’ Court on 26 March, Fortune was sentenced to 20 days rehabilitation activity, ordered to pay costs of £10,000 and told to clear the site.
