Two Lincolnshire farmers were ordered to pay fines and costs totalling nearly £7,000 at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on 27 July 2026 after admitting illegal waste offences at Hall Farm, North Owersby. The Environment Agency prosecution covered unpermitted waste deposits, a waste fire and missing waste transfer notes.
TL;DR · LAST REVIEWED Cousins Ian Wilmot, 61, and Mark Wilmot, 66, admitted offences under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Ian Wilmot was ordered to pay £3,990.55 and Mark Wilmot £2,820.25 with a 15 month conditional discharge. The case sits within the Environment Agency's tougher enforcement approach under the March 2026 Waste Crime Action Plan.
- Total fines and costs: nearly £7,000, imposed at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on 27 July 2026
- Ian Wilmot, Hall Farm: £792 fine, £316.80 surcharge, £2,881.75 costs (£3,990.55 total)
- Mark Wilmot, Bramwil Hall Farm: 15 month conditional discharge, £26 surcharge, £2,794.25 costs
Outcomes at Lincoln Magistrates' Court, 27 July 2026
| Defendant | Offence admitted | Outcome |
| Ian Wilmot, 61, Hall Farm | Operating an unpermitted waste operation, Regs 12(1) and 38(1)(a) EPR 2016 | £792 fine, £316.80 surcharge, £2,881.75 costs: £3,990.55 |
| Mark Wilmot, 66, Bramwil Hall Farm | Depositing controlled waste without a permit, s33(1)(a) EPA 1990 | 15 month conditional discharge |
| Mark Wilmot, 66, Bramwil Hall Farm | Duty of care breach, no written waste description, s34(1)(c)(ii) EPA 1990 | £26 surcharge, £2,794.25 costs: £2,820.25 |
Source: Environment Agency, GOV.UK
KEY FACTS
- Total fines and costs: nearly £7,000, imposed at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on 27 July 2026
- Ian Wilmot, Hall Farm: £792 fine, £316.80 surcharge, £2,881.75 costs (£3,990.55 total)
- Mark Wilmot, Bramwil Hall Farm: 15 month conditional discharge, £26 surcharge, £2,794.25 costs
- Offences dated 27 June to 7 July 2023; waste included contaminated brick rubble, plastics, plasterboard and roofing felt
- Mark Wilmot held a waste carrier licence but did not check for an environmental permit and produced no waste transfer notes
- Reports of suspected waste crime: Environment Agency 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111
What happened at Hall Farm
The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted two cousins from North Owersby, near Market Rasen, who broke waste regulations by moving and depositing waste without the required environmental permit and by starting a fire that included waste material. Surveillance by Environment Agency officers first alerted the regulator to the removal of waste from one farm to another in the Market Rasen area. Officers traced the movements to Hall Farm, where deposited waste was found to include brick rubble contaminated with wood, plastics, plasterboard and roofing felt. One officer also witnessed a fire on the site containing waste material. Both men admitted the offences at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on Monday 27 July 2026, with combined fines, surcharges and costs coming to nearly £7,000.
When interviewed, Mark Wilmot admitted transferring the waste from a nearby farm to his cousin Ian's land. Although he held a waste carrier's licence, he did not check whether an environmental permit was in place at the receiving site, and when asked to provide waste transfer notes for the material moved, none were forthcoming. The absence of transfer documentation formed part of the duty of care charge against him. The three year gap between the offence dates in mid 2023 and sentencing in July 2026 is typical of Environment Agency waste investigations, which routinely involve surveillance evidence, formal interviews under caution and file preparation before charges reach a magistrates' court.
Why the costs dwarfed the fine
The headline £792 fine understates the real financial hit. Of the near £7,000 total, £5,676 was prosecution costs, reflecting the Environment Agency's surveillance operation, interviews and case preparation, and courts routinely order defendants to pay these in full on conviction. The victim surcharge, set as a percentage of the fine, added £316.80 for Ian Wilmot. Mark Wilmot's 15 month conditional discharge means no separate punishment now, but any further offence within that period returns him to court to be sentenced for both matters. For a working farm, the exposure does not stop at the court order: land containing deposited mixed waste may need clearing to lawful standards at the landowner's own cost, and unpermitted deposits can affect Basic Payment and environmental scheme compliance where land condition rules apply.
Part of a national crackdown
Peter Stark, enforcement team leader for the Environment Agency in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, said the regulator will not tolerate waste crime and is actively targeting illegal waste activity across the two counties as part of a nationwide crackdown, warning that farmers and landowners need to understand the environmental regulations because the agency will not hesitate to act against those breaking the law. The agency says it will provide advice and guidance to people before they start any waste activity, and anyone who suspects illegal operations can call the Environment Agency 24 hours a day on 0800 80 70 60 or report anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The prosecution builds on the government's Waste Crime Action Plan, published in March 2026, which commits Defra and the Environment Agency to acting earlier on larger illegal sites, making greater use of enforcement powers and increasing public transparency around illegal waste activity. The enforcement statistics behind the plan show the direction of travel: between July 2024 and the end of 2025 the agency stopped illegal waste activity at 1,205 sites and secured 122 prosecutions, 10 of them ending in immediate custody, while its Economic Crime Unit progressed 26 money laundering investigations and obtained 42 confiscation orders. The agency estimates that 20 percent of all waste in England is illegally managed, costing the economy around £1 billion each year.
The wider lesson for landowners
Two features of this case recur across farm waste prosecutions. First, holding a waste carrier registration is not a disposal authorisation: anyone registered with the Environment Agency as a carrier may transport waste, but the land receiving it needs its own environmental permit or registered exemption, and the carrier is expected to check. Second, the section 34 duty of care makes paperwork itself the offence: failing to hand over a written description of the waste, normally a waste transfer note, is independently chargeable even where the underlying material is inert builder's rubble. Farmers accepting hardcore for tracks or hardstanding sit in a known enforcement grey zone: certain exemptions allow limited reuse of clean crushed material, but mixed loads containing plasterboard, plastics or roofing felt fall outside them, and plasterboard in particular is barred from mixing with general waste because it generates hydrogen sulphide in landfill conditions.
Before waste is moved onto or off farmland
- Check the receiving site holds an environmental permit or a registered exemption for the specific waste type and quantity.
- Confirm the carrier's CB registration number on the Environment Agency public register before any load moves.
- Complete a waste transfer note for every movement, describing the waste accurately, and keep it for two years.
- Never burn transferred waste: fires involving controlled waste are a separate offence and attract their own charges.
- If approached with cheap disposal offers, report suspicions to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60.
RELATED GUIDES
DISCLAIMER
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Waste regulation differs between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Businesses and landowners should confirm their obligations directly with the Environment Agency or the relevant national regulator before acting.
Frequently asked questions
How much were the Lincolnshire farmers fined for waste crime?
Fines and costs totalled nearly £7,000. Ian Wilmot was ordered to pay £3,990.55 and Mark Wilmot £2,820.25, alongside a 15 month conditional discharge, at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on 27 July 2026.
What waste offences did the cousins admit?
Operating an unpermitted waste operation under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, knowingly causing the deposit of controlled waste without a permit under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and breaching the section 34 waste duty of care by failing to provide waste transfer notes.
Does a waste carrier licence allow waste to be dumped on farmland?
No. A waste carrier registration only covers transporting waste. The receiving site must hold its own environmental permit or a registered exemption, and the carrier must complete waste transfer notes for each movement.
How is suspected waste crime reported in England?
The Environment Agency incident line operates 24 hours a day on 0800 80 70 60, and reports can also be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
What is the Waste Crime Action Plan?
A Defra policy paper published in March 2026 setting out measures to prevent, enforce against and remediate waste crime in England, including £45 million of additional Environment Agency enforcement funding over three years.
SOURCES
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/court-fines-lincolnshire-cousins-following-waste-crime-probe – accessed GOV.UK
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-crime-action-plan/waste-crime-action-plan – accessed GOV.UK
- https://www.gov.uk/register-renew-waste-carrier-broker-dealer-england – accessed GOV.UK
