A 65-year-old man has been jailed for storing scrap cars and parts illegally at a Breckland garage.

Dereham garage owner Colin Barnes, of Podmore Lane in Scarning, repeatedly ignored Environment Agency warnings about storing end of life vehicles and parts.

He was handed a six-month jail sentence at Norwich Magistrates' Court on July 15, and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs, as well as being given a criminal behaviour order, which sets out a series of legally-binding conditions Barnes must adhere to or face further punishment.

In November 2021 he pleaded guilty to storing ELVs and parts without a permit at his premises and was given a suspended sentence of 16 weeks for those offences.

At the time the court also made a remediation order that he must clear the waste from his site by mid-January 2022 or face immediate imprisonment.

Following expiry of the remediation order in January 2022, Environment Agency officers inspected the site and found it had not been cleared.

They found more ELVs and various car parts including gearboxes, suspension units and tyres stored at the site.

Environment Agency prosecutor Sarah Dunne said Barnes had been given “chance after chance” to clear the waste, saying the site remained a risk to the environment and undermined competitors who operated within the law.

The court heard how officers had visited the site 18 times between November 2019 and July 2022 and had made every effort to work with Barnes.

East Anglia enforcement team leader Lesley Robertson said: "Despite the court imposing a suspended custodial sentence and Order in November 2021 to remove waste from his site, Mr Barnes continued to store and treat waste illegally without an environmental permit.

“Barnes operated at a commercial advantage, undermining legitimate business with little or no regard for the environment or residents.

"By imposing this prison sentence, CBO and £5,000 costs, the District Judge demonstrated how seriously they viewed Mr Barnes’ activities and behaviour.”