Peter Cordwell fined £12,500 for illegally dumping hazardous material

Peter Cordwell, a waste disposal boss from Heywood, has been fined £12,500 for illegally dumping 10,000 tonnes of hazardous waste onto farm land owned by Coronation Street star Julie Goodyear MBE.

Cordwell of Bradshaw Street, Heywood was also ordered to pay costs of £16,521 after illegally depositing the waste at Primrose Hill Farm.

It is understood that Cordwell had made arrangements with Ms Goodyear for companies that he was a director of to supply waste for the construction of a horse exercise area on the site.

Responding to a tip-off, the Environment Agency investigated the farm land to find that Cordwell did not have an environmental permit to dump the waste.

Whilst inspecting the site, officers found a large area, around 60m by 20m, that was up to five metres deep in rubbish. Rubbish in the area included soil, straw, stone, plastic, wood, ceramics and electrical equipment.

Officers then contacted Ms Goodyear to prevent further deposits being made.

It is understood that Cordwell was dumping the waste on Primrose Hill Farm from April 2009 to June 2011.

Primrose Farm was bought by Ms Goodyear, who is best known for playing Rovers Return landlady Bet Lynch, around 17 years ago. She has since spent hundreds of thousands of pounds renovating the property.

Mark Fowles, Lead Environment Agency Investigating Officer, said: “We took the decision to launch a prosecution after investigations determined it was clear waste was being brought onto land without being permitted to do so.

“Illegally-deposited waste has the potential to cause serious pollution incidents or harm human health, and this prosecution demonstrates that we take waste crime very seriously and will not hesitate to prosecute if necessary, to protect the environment and local communities.”

Cordwell pleaded guilty at Bury and Rochdale Magistrates Court on Thursday 15 May.