Sunderland man fined after fire at illegal waste site kills 250 pigeons

Paul Cromack, 36, ran an illegal waste operation at the High Southwick Homing Site, within the Fullwell Mill allotments, off Viewforth Terrace, between 2017 and 2020.

The site was the scene of a major fire in June 2020, which took several hours to extinguish and caused the death of 250 homing pigeons on a neighbouring plot.

South Tyneside Magistrates Court heard that the city council-owned homing site was leased to High Southwick Homing Society (HSHS), which in turn began to sub-lease a plot to Cromack in 2017.

Shortly afterwards, he started to use the plot to dispose of waste for friends.

The operation grew and by January 2019 a significant amount of commercial and domestic waste, construction and demolition waste, tyres, wood, scrap metal, sofas, soil, furniture and electrical appliances waste was being stored on the site, along with evidence of burning.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “This was a crude operation, with waste materials stored on unmade ground, which increased the risk of hazardous wastes leaching into the environment and presented a risk of pollution to groundwater.”

Following concerns that waste was being stored illegally, the plot was visited by representatives from Sunderland City Council and HSHS. The council informed Cromack, of Thompson Road, Sunderland, he must not bring in any more waste and what already stored on site must be cleared by March 31, 2019.

When evidence emerged that waste activity was still taking place in June 2019, the Council issued Cromack with a Community Protection Warning Letter, requiring him to immediately stop importing waste, dispose of the waste already there in a lawful manner and instructed that waste must not be burnt as a means of disposal.

On June 14 2019, a fire broke out at the site which destroyed Cromack’s plot along with one next-door which was leased by a member of HSHS and home to approximately 250 pigeons, all of which died.

The replacement cost of the birds is estimated to be £8,000. Sunderland City Council estimates it could cost up to £80,000 to dispose of the remaining waste lawfully.

Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Service used 220,000 litres of water to extinguish the blaze which, due to the permeable surface of the area and absence of any drainage system, either evaporated, was absorbed into the ground or ran onto surrounding land.

The Environment Agency spokesperson added: “Any person or business who transports, treats, stores or deposits waste without the required environmental permit is breaking the law.

“The conditions of an environmental permit are designed to protect people and the environment. Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment, undermine local legitimate environmental permit holders, put jobs at risk and cause misery for local communities.

“We welcome sentencing by the Court, which should act as a deterrent to others considering flouting the law.”

Cromack pleaded guilty at the first opportunity at South Tyneside Magistrates Court and was fined £650 for operating a regulated facility without a permit. There was no separate penalty for an offence relating to incineration of waste wood. He was ordered to pay £500 towards the Environment Agency’s costs.

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