No charges after five-year tax investigation into Hartlepool firm Niramax

A five-year investigation into allegations of multi-million-pounds worth of landfill tax evasion by recycling firms has been concluded without any charges being brought.
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A series of raids across the North East and Yorkshire in September 2015 saw a total of 14 people arrested as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigated what it described at the time as a “suspected systematic abuse of the landfill tax system”.

Niramax, which has its head office in Hartlepool as well as operating an additional site on the Pattison industrial estate, in Washington, was one of the firms involved in the investigation.

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A Blaydon business – which was operating as one of Niramax's associated companies at the time the investigation was launched but which has since been taken over by a different firm – was also visited.

Hartlepool's Niramax plant. Hartlepool's Niramax plant.
Hartlepool's Niramax plant.

Blaydon MP Liz Twist has now called on HMRC to reveal how much money has been spent on the operation and why an investigation which had taken so long has been dropped.

A spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs confirmed on April 16 that the investigation had now been formally concluded and that no criminal charges would be brought as a result of the inquiry.

“We take all reports of suspected tax evasion extremely seriously and we thoroughly analyse and investigate them,” he said.

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"Following a full criminal investigation, it has been decided that the case will not be brought before the criminal courts.”

Niramax, based in Thomlinson Road, on the Longhill Industrial Estate, declined to comment when approached by the Hartlepool Mail on Friday.

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