A sand and gravel supplier has been ordered to pay around £250,000 after exceeding by almost 19 times the storage limit on its waste licence.

Rory J Holbrook Ltd admitted at Norwich Crown Court operating a facility at Blofield, Norfolk, without the necessary permits.

The company was fined £30,000, and ordered to pay costs of £20,000 and proceeds of crime of £247,278.

Mark Watson, representing the Environment Agency (EA), said the company was operating under an exemption that allowed it to store up to 5,000 tonnes of aggregates at its site.

But the firm’s records showed that as much as 94,000 tonnes had been taken to the facility.

“In essence the company was running a waste transfer station,” Watson said. “The company turnover from the site was in excess of £500,000 and it also gained financially by not paying for permit applications and subsistence fees.”