Company fined five figure sum after failing to clean up ‘eyesore’ mess in Earl Shilton

Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 20 October 2023

A COMPANY have been slapped with a hefty fine by magistrates after failing to ensure a clean-up of an ‘eyesore’ section of land in Earl Shilton.

**Building mess discarded on the site** (Image: HBBC)

Regis Development Group, of St. Matthew’s Business Centre in Leicester, have been served the fine after dumping building waste, general rubbish, and other mess on a section of land behind the former King William IV pub, located on The Hollow.

Many residents living around the site complained the mess was encouraging others to fly-tip in the area, and that it was attracting acts of anti-social behaviour locally.

Regis’ directors ignored ‘several’ council demands to clean up the land, but have now been ordered to pay a five-figure fine of £10,000 by Leicester Magistrates.

The court heard Hinckley and Bosworth borough council were first made aware of the problem by residents living around the site in August 2022.

After Regis bosses ignored informal advice, officers from the borough council’s ‘Clean Neighbourhood Team’ subsequently served the first Community Protection Notice on the landowner on 1 December 2022.

The notice required Regis Development to clear the mess by 6th January 2023, but this was repeatedly ignored, and the mess remained.

The case was heard at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (18 October) earlier this week.

The court heard how the mess has impacted those living in the surrounding neighbourhood, and that Regis Development had repeatedly failed to respond to demands to clear up the mess.

Coun. Lynda Hodgkins, the Borough Council’s Executive Member for Parks, Open Spaces and Neighbourhood Services, said: “This land was left in an unacceptable state, and this can have a negative impact on nearby homes and businesses.

“The director of the company was given ample opportunities to clear it up but chose to ignore those warnings which left the council with no option other than to prosecute the company.

“We will not hesitate to take action in these circumstances to protect others from the misery this can cause.”