An Ilkeston man has been ordered to pay almost £40,000 in fines and costs after operating illegal waste sites and dumping material on land over a seven-year period.
Thomas Reilly, 74, of Mill Acre Close, Ilkeston, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 8 October, where he admitted four environmental offences committed between 2016 and 2023.
Reilly, trading as Thomas Reilly Groundworks, was found to have operated without the necessary environmental permits at several sites across the East Midlands, including:
- Top Farm, Barton Lane, Barton-in-Fabis, Nottinghamshire (2016–2021) – around 180 tonnes of soil and mixed waste were deposited.
- Oxton Road, Southwell (2020–2021) – eight lorry loads of waste soils dumped in large pits and inside a stable block filled with discarded fridges and bags of household waste.
- Winking Hill, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Leicestershire (2023) – about 160 tonnes of waste soil tipped on agricultural land.
- Flawforth Lane, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire (September 2023) – Environment Agency officers caught him in the act, reversing a lorry into open fields to unload waste without a permit.
Investigators used drone footage to assess the Barton Lane site, finding materials including bin bags, bricks, wood panels, concrete and green waste. Officials described it as a “landfill without environmental protection infrastructure.”
Reilly was fined £19,248, ordered to pay £17,500 in costs and a £120 victim surcharge.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said:
“This successful prosecution sends a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal waste operations that put our environment and communities at risk.
Operating waste facilities without proper permits isn’t just about red tape—it’s about protecting public health and ensuring a level playing field for legitimate businesses.”
Anyone with information about illegal dumping or unlicensed waste sites can call the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.