Footage shows scale of landowner's illegal dumping on ancient woodland
Watch: Shocking scale of landowner's illegal dump - which has cost taxpayers £43K
Aerial images show the vast scale of an illegal dumping site which has been the subject of a decade-long dispute with authorities.
Maidstone Council has spent £43,000 of taxpayers’ money pursuing landowner Langley Beck over his 14-hectare plot in Boxley Woods, north of Maidstone in Kent.
The local authority started enforcement action in 2014 after it found the land – located in an area of outstanding natural beauty – littered with broken vehicles and waste.
Beck, 55, was previously described as having a "hoarding disorder" in a parallel contempt of court case, for which he was given a suspended prison sentence.
He was due to be sentenced on Friday after being convicted of breaching planning regulations. However, he turned up to the hearing at Maidstone Crown Court unrepresented by a solicitor and asked for a postponement.
Another hearing has been set, where Beck faces an unlimited financial fine.
The sentencing hearing had already been postponed twice – once because of difficulties finding a courtroom, and once because Beck had failed to show up.
Beck told the judge, Mr Recorder Fowler, that it was his intention to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Beck said he had suffered “21 years of persecution by those dirty, lying, sons of b*****s (the council)” and he described the hearing as “an invitation to a neck-tie party”.
In a parallel case, in which Beck had appeared in the High Court for contempt of court, his defence had claimed that he was unfit to plead because he suffered from a “hoarding disorder”.
That was rejected at the High Court last April by Mr Justice Sweeting, and Beck was convicted of contempt of court for failing to comply with a previous order to clear up the land and was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Mr Recorder Fowler said he was prepared to give Beck five weeks to find legal representation.
He said: “I am aware that there are certain psychiatric issues that would make it undesirable for Mr Beck to speak on his own behalf.”
He told Beck: “I give you this one opportunity to get representation. But if you come back without representation, the case will proceed anyway.
“If you do not appear, a warrant will be issued for your arrest.”
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Beck has also been living in a temporary building on the plot without planning permission, it was said.
He said he was unable to afford representation and was waiting on his application for universal credit to come through.
Scott Stemp, prosecuting, told the hearing that Beck had previously been represented at hearings by Irwin Mitchell solicitors but the firm has since withdrawn its services because it was not being paid.
Beck also owns 11 acres and a nearby cottage at Westfield Sole Farm in Harp Farm Road.
He was previously banned for life from keeping animals after locking up dogs in their own filth – and failing to let ducks have water.
Fly-tipping: Three common questions answered
Is leaving rubbish outside your own house fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping is when people illegally dump waste on land that is not licensed to take it.
As a private landowner, if you fall victim to fly-tipping, it is your responsibility to ensure the safe disposal of the waste and cover any associated costs.
What evidence is needed for fly-tipping?
To report fly-tipping, the government recommends gathering the following details: circumstances (witnesses, date/time, vehicle description), land type (relevant or private), location (e.g., highway verge, back alleyway, railway embankment, or river), waste amount/type (solid, liquid, gas), and potential effects on people, animals, or the environment.
What are the punishments for fly-tipping?
The amount of the fine or the length of the prison sentence depends on how bad the fly-tipping is. People who dump small amounts of waste may be fined up to £1,000. But those who dump a lot of waste could be taken to court and fined up to £50,000 or even sent to prison.
To stop fly-tipping, the government has taken steps such as increasing enforcement and using cameras to monitor places where people often dump waste. Last year, on-the-spot fines for litter, graffiti and fly-tipping were raised as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
Read more on fly-tipping
Asbestos dumped in fly-tipping 'hotspot' behind south Essex pub sparks fury (Echo)
The names of 23 people fined for fly-tipping (Lancashire Telegraph)
Drivers forced to turn around as road blocked by fly-tipping (East Anglian)
