Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) reports it has achieved a significant victory in its ongoing battle to protect the Kent Downs National Landscape after a landowner has been convicted and sentenced for years of illegal waste dumping on his property in Boxley.
The council say the Bell Lane site, spanning over 36 acres, had been blighted by commercial and industrial waste, resulting in severe contamination despite repeated attempts by MBC to address the issue.
In a landmark ruling, Maidstone County Court sentenced the landowner to a £60,000 fine, awarded MBC £40,000 in costs, and imposed a victim surcharge of £170. Additionally, the landowner was given 12 months to pay the costs, or face 16 months in prison.