THE owner of a Barrow recycling firm who pleaded guilty to dumping the contents of a skip in a back alley has been fined £632 and ordered to pay clean-up costs of more than £1,500.

Brian Armistead, of Sinkfall Farm in Rakesmoor Lane, Barrow, appeared at Furness Magistrates' on Monday November 21 where he pleaded guilty to depositing waste without an environmental permit.

The owner and director of Sinkfall Recycling was prosecuted by Barrow Borough Council for his role in emptying a skip in Wordsworth Street, which contained household waste, on June 14.

Barrow Borough Council's representative Matthew Viner told the court how officers patrolling in Barrow had seen the "full and overflowing" skip.

He also said a number of people living in Wordsworth Street had called the council on November 15 and reported Armistead for dropping the rubbish and driving off.

"There are a number of aggravating factors to this – it was an intentional act and he is the owner and director of a disposal company and should know better.

"He should have known the regulations more than a member of the public would.

"This act had an immediate impact on the street and properties adjacent to the site," added Mr Viner.

In a statement read out in court, Armistead described the incident as a "complete act of stupidity" saying that he did it out of "pure frustration".

The court was told how Sinkfall Recycling had initially refused to empty the skip as they had not received a payment of £136 from the renter.

In his statement, Armistead accepted he was in the wrong, and said he did know better, describing the act as "completely inappropriate" and a "one-off" before saying he had done a lot of "soul-searching" as a result of the incident.

Presiding Magistrate Jenny Farmer ordered Armistead to pay a £632 fine, £915 costs to Barrow Borough Council and another £600 for the clean-up operation as well as a victim surcharge, meaning he must pay a total of £2,210.30.