Food company faces a grilling in court for dumping commercial waste in Aylesbury

A fast-food outlet in Aylesbury has been found guilty of the illegal dumping of commercial waste in the town centre and ordered to pay fines and costs totalling more than £12,000.

A fast-food outlet in Aylesbury has been found guilty of the illegal dumping of commercial waste in the town centre and ordered to pay fines and costs totalling more than £12,000.

Commercial waste from Aylesbury Grill (operated by Aylesbury Grill House Ltd) was found left by street litter bins at Kingsbury, Aylesbury on several occasions in early summer 2023.

The waste was piled in sacks up against street litter bins which are provided for use by members of the public to dispose of small amounts of personal litter only.

Businesses producing waste are required by law to take measures to ensure that their waste is dealt with properly. 

Aylesbury Grill House Ltd was warned about its failings in dealing with its business waste by Buckinghamshire Council. When further transgressions were found, officers from the council's Waste Enforcement Team carried out follow-up investigations in July 2023 using evidence found by examining the contents of sacks of waste dumped in the square and town centre CCTV camera footage.

Company director, Haris Gul was interviewed by investigators on the company's behalf and a case was prepared for prosecution following further incidents, with seven charges brought against the company.

District Judge Sharma heard the prosecution at Wycombe Magistrates' Court on 24 July 2024. The court heard that the warnings had been made to the company but that their illegal conduct had continued for a month afterwards. Had Aylesbury Grill arranged a trade waste contract it would have cost them considerably less than it cost the council to clean up. District Judge Sharma accepted that the actions in this case were deliberate, and that the offending had caused a significant eyesore and hygiene hazards. He also noted the number of offences before the court. All of these points were taken into account when the sentence was passed.

Aylesbury Grill House Ltd was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay full clean-up and investigation costs to Buckinghamshire Council, totalling £3,862.74. A victim surcharge of £2,400 was also imposed meaning that the company has to pay a total of £12,262.74 with payment required within 28 days.