Natural Resources Wales
A man who ran an illegal waste dump which was targeted by arsonists and burned for 10 days has been jailed for a series of waste offences.
Adrian Lewis, 43, of Ebbw Vale, piled up waste, including "asbestos in bags" at his site in Nantyglo, Blaenau Gwent.
He admitted breaching permit conditions, illegally dumping waste and failing to comply with an environmental enforcement notice.
Lewis was jailed for eight months at Newport Crown Court on Friday.
The court heard the site was only meant to be used to store waste before it was moved elsewhere.
But Lewis kept adding rubbish, even after environment body Natural Resources Wales told him he had exceeded his 620-tonne limit and it posed a serious environmental risk.
There were skips full of hazardous waste, while rainwater which leaked through the site could have contained harmful chemicals and could have reached streams, the court heard.
Statements from neighbours read to the court included complaints the site looked and smelled bad and "towered over" property boundaries.
The court was told money problems led Lewis to store the waste.
At the time, residents said the smoke discoloured their clothes and homes and left an unpleasant smell in the air.
The court heard the clean-up cost will be £1,354,000.
Natural Resources Wales
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