Company boss who dumped 4,000 tonnes of illegal waste on farms, at a manor house and nature reserve at 16 sites across England is ordered to pay £1.4m
The boss of a company that dumped more than 4,000 tonnes of waste across the UK has been ordered to pay £1.4 million.
The court heard Varun Datta, 36, from London, had been the registered waste broker for his company, Atkins Recycling Ltd, since 2015.
Despite the company claiming the waste it handled was sent to a legal site near Sheffield, loads were diverted to illegal dumps across the country.
The total weight of the discarded waste was approximately 4,275 tonnes; This was roughly equivalent to the weight of 600 African elephants.
A nationwide investigation by the Environment Agency has uncovered a network of 16 illegal landfills stretching from the south-east to the north-west.
The sites where the waste was dumped included a farm on the outskirts of Peterborough, a mansion in Ewhurst in Surrey and a warehouse in Margate in Kent.
Datta must now pay £1.1 million in compensation for the financial benefit of his crimes, as well as £100,000 in compensation and £200,000 in prosecution costs.
He was also given a 4-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, 30 days of rehabilitation and 200 hours of unpaid work.
The total weight of the discarded waste was approximately 4,275 tonnes; This was roughly equivalent to the weight of 600 African elephants (Image: Rhyddings Mill, Lancashire)
Varun Datta, 36, from London, must now pay £1.1 million to reflect the financial benefit he received from his crimes, plus £100,000 compensation and £200,000 prosecution costs (Photo credit: CC 4.0 Varundatta2018)
A nationwide investigation by the Environment Agency revealed a network of 16 illegal landfills stretching from the south-east to the north-west (Image: Middleton Nature Reserve, Lancashire)
In 2018 the Environment Agency seized £131,520 in cash from Datta’s home address and later, in 2022, a restraining order was imposed on two bank accounts to ensure any future seizure orders could be paid.
Datta, who initially pleaded not guilty in 2023, later pleaded guilty in June 2025 to knowingly causing controlled waste to accumulate in 16 areas.
Describing the offenses as ‘reckless’, Judge Paul Farrah KC said: ‘The odor and flies were a feature of some illegal areas and caused a locally negative impact on air quality.
‘[Landowners were] have to bear significant costs for the disposal of illegal waste.’
None of the sites, spread across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Lancashire, Kent, Surrey, Rutland and Middlesborough, had environmental permits or valid exemptions.
A colleague, Sandeep Golechha, 55, from London, is alleged to have helped falsify weighbridge documents to cover up illegal activities.
It was seen that two more people were tried in the case heard at Birmingham crown court.
Mohammed Saraji Bashir, of Peterborough, was given a four-month suspended prison sentence, unpaid work and a period of rehabilitation.
Robert McAllister, of North London, was fined £750. Warrants for the arrest of two other men remain in force.
Describing the offenses as ‘reckless’, Judge Paul Farrah KC said: ‘The odor and flies were a feature of some illegal areas and caused a local adverse impact on air quality’ (Image: Rhyddings Mill, Lancashire)
The judge said landowners were forced to incur significant costs to remove illegal waste (Image: Rhyddings Mill, Lancashire)
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds described it as a ‘shocking case of illegal dumping’ (Image: Lime Tree Farm, Lincolnshire)
Datta’s £100,000 compensation relates to the former Sulzer Dowding Mills Factory site in Middlesbrough, as well as the dump at Middleton Nature Reserve in Lancashire.
Middlesborough Council will receive £70,000 towards clean-up costs, while Lancashire Wildlife Trust will be awarded £30,000 for the future management of Middleton Nature Reserve.
Emma Viner, Enforcement and Investigations Manager at the Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit, said: ‘We are delighted to see the perpetrators brought to justice in this horrific case.
‘Despite their efforts to conceal their guilt, our in-depth investigation, which spanned the length and breadth of the country, ultimately revealed those responsible.
‘We will never stop fighting to end the scourge of waste crime that harms our environment and our communities.’
Environment Minister Emma Reynolds said: ‘This is a shocking case of illegal dumping orchestrated by a group of shameless crooks who thought they could work above the law.
‘I welcome the penalties imposed by the Environment Agency, which send a clear message to criminals that they have nowhere to hide.
‘This government is determined to stamp out such crime across the country by increasing funding to combat waste crime and implementing tougher controls and penalties for those who break the law.’
