Highland firm fined £32,000 for dumping tonnes of unauthorised waste in former pond

A quarry firm in the Highlands has been fined over £32,000 for dumping thousands of tonnes of waste in an former pond.

Pat Munro (Alness) Limited has been fined following an investigation into the disposal of controlled waste at Caplich Quarry between April 2018 and February 2024.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) used satellite imaging to monitor the site and found significant changes, with much of the former quarry area filled with water at the beginning of that period.

The former pond was progressively infilled until little water remained.

As part of the investigation, SEPA officers required trial pits to be excavated, which revealed materials including soil, stone, plastic, timber, metal, glass, and road planings at depths of up to three metres.

Pat Munro had not been granted a waste management licence allowing them to carry out the disposal.

SEPA estimated that more than 20,000 tonnes of waste material were deposited and fined the compant £32,100.

Calum McGregor, unit manager of SEPA’s Environmental Crime Team, said: “Controlled waste was used to progressively fill a former pond at this site over almost six years without the environmental authorisation required.

“Businesses that handle waste have a responsibility to understand which authorisations they need and to have them in place before activity starts.

“Our investigation established both the scale of the activity and what had been disposed of at the site. This penalty reflects the seriousness of failing to comply with waste regulations and sends a clear message that SEPA will take action where those requirements are not complied with.

“Scotland’s waste regulations are designed to protect our environment and legitimate businesses. We expect operators to comply with them.”

A spokesperson for Pat Munro said: “This matter is in relation to the use of inert material arisings from local construction contracts, as part of the restoration of worked out areas of the sand & gravel quarry at Alness, an activity for which we have held SEPA permission for over 20 years.

“A recent SEPA inspection concluded that the current area of restoration was out with the scope of the permission held, and that a different license should have been in place. At no time was there any suggestion that the material involved was not compliant for the restoration use, or that there was any environmental harm.

“No remedial works are required, as it is purely an issue of a change of permission type and relevant fee.

“We have lodged a formal stage 2 complaint against SEPA’s blatant misrepresentation of this administrative matter”