Man prosecuted for running waste dumping site which polluted river

AN Exeter man has received a suspended sentence for polluting a river and illegally storing thousands of tonnes of construction waste.

- by SHANNON BROWN

Philip Liley, of Sidmouth Road, was prosecuted by the Environment Agency (EA) after pollution from his site leaked into a tributary of the River Bovey.

In March 2023, following reports of pollution in the river, EA officers found a pipe discharging a grey-brown liquid into the watercourse.

The site, which Liley leased in Newton Abbot, was churned up with heavy machinery which caused runoff to flood into the river, Exeter Crown Court heard.

The EA was told by a subcontractor working on the premises that around 15,000 tonnes of inert waste had been imported to the site.

Groundworks at the site were stopped immediately to limit harm to the local environment.