On-the-run boss of firm behind illegal Hartlepool waste dump owes £157,000 - and counting

A warrant is still out for Kevin Brough, a former director of Easy Skips North East Ltd, which allowed a mountain of waste to build up on the town’s Longhill Industrial Estate.

In 2009, the 52-year-old was given a year to pay a £110,000 confiscation order after being dealt with for four waste offences two years earlier.

But Brough disappeared and to date has not paid a penny of the money which now stands at £157,000 due to the interest that has built up.

He is facing a three-year jail sentence for the non-payment.

The agency chasing Brough says he has shown a “total disregard” for the law and appealed for anyone who knows where he might be to contact them.

He was previously believed to have fled the country.

Detective Sergeant Thomas Maughan, from the North East Regional Asset Recovery Team, said: “This confiscation order was granted in 2009 and he was given a year to pay £110,000.

“Until the outstanding amount is paid in full this figure will continue to rise.

“This case is currently being reviewed, and I urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact police.

“He has shown a total disregard for the justice system and the financial order granted against him.

“We will pursue this non-payment and enforcement proceedings may result in a three-year term of imprisonment being imposed.”

Brough and Andrew Benson, who were directors of Easy Skips (NE) Ltd, in Casebourne Road, were taken to court by the Environment Agency and admitted running the site without the proper environmental licences or planning permission.

In August 2009, at Teesside Crown Court Judge Michael Taylor ordered Brough, formerly of Parklands Way, Hartlepool, to pay back £110,000 and Benson just under £125,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The court then heard that by June 2007 the waste pile had topped 17,000 tonnes and was so large it spilled through a broken boundary fence onto the pavement, causing a potential danger to the public.

Tristan Drought, of the Environment Agency, said: “We were pleased with the decision made by the court but it’s important that Kevin Brough is traced so he can pay the fine imposed.

“I’d urge anyone with information on his whereabouts to get in touch with the police as soon as possible.”

Andrew Benson, 47, was given more than two years prison in 2011 after he failed to pay back the money he owed.

Anyone with any information about Brough’s whereabouts is asked to contact Cleveland Police on the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.