Waste offender to pay £280k over undeclared assets

A man convicted of waste offences has been ordered to pay nearly £280,000 after it was discovered he had undeclared assets.

Simon Mason, 54, was originally prosecuted in 2021 for illegally storing and burning waste at a site in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, despite repeated warnings from the Environment Agency.

Mason, of St John's Chase, March, Cambridgeshire, was given a two-year suspended sentence and ordered to pay £8,317.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Lincoln Crown Court on 27 February, Mason was ordered to pay an additional £278,492 after it was discovered he owned a property that he had not declared.

The agency, which published details of the case on Wednesday, said it had reopened its investigation after it learned of changes to Mason's financial position.

At the time of his sentencing, only £8,317 was recovered because it was believed he had "limited means", a spokesperson said.

At the February court hearing, Mason was given three months to pay the additional sum or face five years in prison.

He was also ordered to make a £1,500 contribution towards the agency's costs.

It said Mason was found to have burned a variety of waste at the property without an environmental permit or registered waste exemption.

More than 600 fridges were also found illegally stored at the site, it added.

Peter Stark, the agency's enforcement team leader, said: "Waste criminals should be aware how seriously we take their offending, including the benefit they obtain from their illegal activities."

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