Seven Sentenced After Dashcam Reveals Illegal Waste Ring, Cambridge 2026

Key Points

• Seven men were sentenced at Winchester Crown Court for illegally dumping hundreds of tonnes of controlled waste at two unpermitted sites.
• Approximately 200 tonnes of shredded household and commercial waste were dumped at Kingsclere Lime Quarry in Hampshire on 31 July 2019, without permission from the quarry owners.
• At least 550 tonnes of waste were dumped and buried behind the former Plough pub in Farcet, south of Peterborough, with diggers used to excavate holes.
• The defendants – Barry Wilkes, Peter Elliott, David Hannah, Laurentiu Boaca, Michael Tucker, Mohammed Waqar Bashir and Steven Rozario – were convicted following an Environment Agency investigation.
• Dashcam footage from Peter Elliott’s lorry captured illegal dumping at both sites and proved central to the prosecution.
• Michael Tucker was seen operating earth-moving machinery; his employee Mohammed Waqar Bashir directed vehicles and organised dumping at the Plough site.
• Laurentiu Boaca drove a distinctive lorry to Kingsclere with a full load; he claimed his tipping mechanism jammed but was convicted of attempting to deposit waste.
• Steven Rozario, as sole director of Active Management Facilities Limited, acted as waste broker and arranged transport using Barry Wilkes’s Wembley Group Ltd as haulier.
• The court found Rozario’s company failed basic duty of care: transfer documentation lacked destination details, permit confirmation, and proof of lawful end destination.
• Colin Chiverton of the Environment Agency described the operation as “serious, organised and brazen” and warned of unacceptable environmental risk.
• Sentences ranged from 12-month Community Orders with unpaid work requirements to small financial penalties and costs; Barry Wilkes was judged “most responsible”.
• The Environment Agency emphasised it will pursue waste crime at every level of the chain, from drivers to brokers.

Cambridge (Cambridge Tribune) July 15, 2026 – All seven men involved in a large-scale illegal waste operation have been sentenced after dashcam evidence exposed brazen dumping at two unpermitted sites. Kingsclere and Farcet, Hampshire and Cambridgeshire – combined reports from the Environment Agency and court records.

Winchester Crown Court has concluded a landmark case in which seven men were sentenced for their roles in an organised criminal operation that saw hundreds of tonnes of controlled waste unlawfully dumped and buried at sites with no environmental permits. The court heard that the scheme involved multiple companies, a network of lorries, and the use of heavy machinery to hide the waste from sight.

According to the Environment Agency’s public statement, the operation included “hundreds of tonnes of controlled waste dumped and buried at sites completely unfit and unpermitted to receive it”. Colin Chiverton, area environment manager at the Environment Agency, said the damage caused to the sites and the risk to surrounding environments and communities was “entirely unacceptable”.

How were the criminals caught on dashcam?

The prosecution relied heavily on dashcam footage recorded from Peter Elliott’s lorry, which captured the illegal dumping activity at both the Kingsclere and Plough sites. The video showed lorries arriving full of waste, vehicles being directed into position, and earth-moving equipment being used to dig holes and cover the waste.

According to court evidence summarised by the Environment Agency, Michael Tucker was identified on the footage operating earth-moving machinery to dig holes and assist in moving waste at the Plough site. His employee, Mohammed Waqar Bashir, was seen directing vehicles and organising the dumping operation at the same location.

Laurentiu Boaca was identified as the driver of a distinctive lorry captured arriving at Kingsclere Lime Quarry with a lorry full of waste. In a later interview, Boaca claimed that his lorry’s tipping mechanism had jammed, preventing him from depositing the load; nevertheless, he was convicted of attempting to deposit waste.

Who was involved in the illegal waste chain?

The court heard that the operation involved multiple roles across the waste chain: waste brokers, hauliers, transport managers, lorry drivers, and site managers. Each defendant had clear legal responsibilities but chose to ignore them, according to the Environment Agency.

Steven Rozario, as sole director of Active Management Facilities Limited, acted as the waste broker. He arranged for waste from at least three sites to be transported using Barry Wilkes’s company, Wembley Group Ltd, as the haulier. The court found that Rozario’s company failed to meet basic duty of care requirements: waste transfer documentation was seriously deficient, lacking proper destination details, confirmation of receiving site permits, and evidence that waste had reached its lawful end destination.

Barry Wilkes, sole director of the haulage company Wembley Group Ltd, was described by the judge as “the most responsible” individual in the operation. David Hannah served as transport manager for Wembley Group Limited, while Peter Elliott was a Wembley Group driver. Michael Tucker was sole director of Blue Rock Group Limited and was in charge of operations at the Plough site.

What did the court hear about the scale of dumping?

The court was told that on the morning of 31 July 2019, a convoy of lorries dumped approximately 200 tonnes of shredded household and commercial waste at Kingsclere Lime Quarry in Hampshire. The quarry owners had not given anyone permission to dump waste on their land.

Days earlier, at least 550 tonnes of waste were dumped and buried at a site behind the former Plough pub in Farcet, just south of Peterborough. Diggers were used to excavate holes in the ground for the waste, which was then covered up. Combined, the two sites received more than 750 tonnes of controlled waste without any environmental permits.

Colin Chiverton told the court that the Environment Agency’s immediate intervention at the Kingsclere site stopped the offending “in its tracks”, preventing what could have been a much more serious situation with lasting environmental impacts at a chalk quarry.

How did the Environment Agency describe the operation?

The Environment Agency described the case as a serious, organised and brazen criminal operation. In its public statement, the agency said all seven defendants had clear legal responsibilities – as lorry operators, site managers, waste haulier, transport manager and waste broker – and all seven chose to ignore them.

“Our immediate intervention at this site also stopped the offending in its tracks, preventing what could have been a much more serious situation with lasting environmental impacts at a chalk quarry,” Colin Chiverton said. He added: “We will pursue those involved in waste crime at every level of the chain, from drivers to brokers”.

What sentences did the seven men receive?

At sentencing, the judge imposed 12-month Community Orders on all seven defendants, each with requirements to complete unpaid work or rehabilitation activity, and in some cases to pay costs or financial penalties.

Barry Wilkes was given a Community Order for 12 months with a requirement to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay costs of £10,000. David Hannah received a Community Order for 12 months with 10 hours of rehabilitation activity and a £300 financial penalty. Peter Elliott was given a Community Order for 12 months with 80 hours of unpaid work.

Laurentiu Boaca was given a Community Order for 12 months with 80 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £400 costs. Michael Tucker received a Community Order for 12 months with 120 hours of unpaid work. Mohammed Waqar Bashir was given a Community Order for 12 months with 80 hours of unpaid work and pay £400 costs.

Background of the illegal waste development

This case stems from a long-running Environment Agency investigation into organised waste crime in the south of England. The illegal dumping at Kingsclere Lime Quarry and behind the former Plough pub in Farcet exposed serious weaknesses in how some waste was moved and documented across multiple companies.

The Environment Agency has repeatedly highlighted that waste crime is not a minor issue: it damages landscapes, pollutes soil and water, undermines legitimate waste businesses, and creates risks for local communities. In this case, the agency’s intervention at Kingsclere prevented further dumping at a chalk quarry, a sensitive environment where contamination could have had lasting effects.

The convictions show that the law treats all parts of the waste chain as accountable. Brokers, hauliers, drivers, and site managers all have statutory duties under waste legislation, including ensuring that waste is transferred only to authorised sites and that proper documentation is completed. The court found that these duties were ignored in a coordinated manner, turning what should have been合规 waste management into a criminal enterprise.

What could this development mean for communities and businesses?

For local communities in Hampshire and Cambridgeshire, this development signals that illegal dumping will be investigated and prosecuted, even when it involves complex chains of companies and drivers. The Environment Agency’s statement that it will pursue waste crime “at every level of the chain” suggests that future cases may also target brokers, directors, and transport managers, not just individual drivers.

For businesses operating in the waste and haulage sectors, the case sets a clear warning: failing to meet duty of care requirements, using inadequate transfer notes, or working with unpermitted sites can lead to criminal convictions, Community Orders, and significant financial penalties. Companies are now more likely to face scrutiny over their documentation, site approvals, and supplier checks, with directors potentially held personally responsible for systemic failures.