Derbyshire shop owner fined for two offences after failing to prove waste was disposed of responsibly

North East Derbyshire District Council (NEDDC) enforcement officers responded to a complaint regarding the disposal of waste at the Flower Shoppe in Clay Cross, and served a legal notice on the business owner – Miss Sarah Nimmo – requiring her to produce commercial waste documentation.

Any business that produces commercial waste must retain waste transfer notes for up to two years to prove they are disposing of their waste in the correct way.

The owner failed to comply with the legal notice and was therefore issued with a £300 fixed penalty notice to avoid prosecution, which was not paid.

On the March 25 2024, Miss Nimmo pleaded guilty to two offences and received fines of £200 per offence, a surcharge of £160 and costs of £835.14 – totalling £1,395.44.

Councillor Stephen Pickering, NEDDC’s cabinet member for environmental services, said: “It is unfortunate that this matter had to be taken to court. We wish to support and help our businesses but keeping our district clean is a priority and we had no choice but to take further action.

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“The council would like to emphasise the importance of business owners understanding and complying with their duty of care in respect of their business waste and disposing of it in the correct way.”