The owner of a skip hire business has been sentenced for ignoring repeated warnings to clear his cluttered site, despite being told it was a risk to human safety.

Almost 50 skips and piles of wood, metal and soil formed the huge mess at RJ Brett Contracts Ltd's yard in Cressing, near Braintree, Essex, between 2024 and 2026.

Owner Roy Brett told the Environment Agency (EA) he "doesn't do emails" after failing to tidy it up, yet he had also been warned in person.

The 66-year-old, of Winstree Road, Stanway, was given a six-month suspended sentence at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court after admitting four breaches of environmental law.

He faces being sent to prison if the yard in Lanham Green Road is not cleared by November.

Brett did not have a permit to manage the site and it had no sealed drainage, creating a risk to human safety, the EA said.

The ever-growing number of overflowing skips was described as a fire risk, as well as a threat to environmental and human safety.

"The operation undercut rivals by avoiding permitting and subsistence fees," said Lesley Robertson, its enforcement team leader.

"Brett and his company also evaded permit conditions designed to protect the environment."

An investigation at the site began in July 2024 after concerns were raised about the mess and how it smelled.

Essex County Fire & Rescue Service also urged Brett to take action before a blaze broke out.

However, by early 2025, the mess had spiralled, and skips were stacked on top of each other, next to clutter including building waste and textiles.

Brett admitted four offences, including keeping controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment or harm to human health, in April.

The prison sentence was suspended for 18 months on 30 July, and he was ordered to undergo 30 days of rehabilitation activities and pay a £154 victim surcharge.

His company also pleaded guilty to four breaches of environmental law.

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