The boss of an illegal skip company in Ambergate has been electronically tagged and ordered to pay more than £9,000 for storing waste without a licence.
Martin John Hudson, from Wirksworth, pleaded guilty to four charges of keeping waste without a licence when he appeared in court.
When Environment Agency officers visited Hudson's company, Cheap Skips, they found skips full of old doors, wood, pla
stic and concrete.
They also discovered demolition waste at the site, at Ambergate Sawmill, Ripley Road, Ambergate.
After sentencing, Environment Agency investigation officer Damien Ashby said: "Martin Hudson continued to operate Cheap Skips illegally, deceiving customers and undercutting legitimate businesses.
"This is not his first offence and the sentence imposed reflects this."
Hudson, 34, was the director and then the secretary of Cheap Skips. The Environment Agency said Hudson took no action to reduce pollution while waste was stored on the site, causing an environmental risk.
At court on Thursday May 1, Hudson was given a five-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months, ordered to do 250 hours community service, and was electronically tagged as part of a 9pm to 6am curfew order.
He was made to pay £5,000 in compensation and £4,308.58 in legal costs.
Mr Ashby said: "We hope this sends a clear message that businesses must operate within the law in order to protect the local environment."
After the case Hudson said he felt the sentence was harsh as he had thought using skips to store up to 50 cubic metres of waste was legal.
Hudson said: "It's because I have a previous waste conviction, but I think it's wrong.
"We'd not had one complaint and were keeping it in the yard - not depositing it or fly-tipping," he said.
"Surely the environment is more important, so why did they watch the site for seven or eight months rather than tell me what would happen?"
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