Asbestos conman ordered to pay back more than £80K

Lee Charles carried out his deceptions throughout the UK, including duping customers in Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Loughborough and Leicester.

The 40-year-old Grantham man previously pleaded guilty last year to lying to customers and giving false paperwork to hide his deception and he was given a suspended prison sentence.

And the defendant was back at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday in a case brought by the Environment Agency under the Proceeds of Crime Act, following a financial investigation into the lawful costs he avoided from his crimes.

Charles marketed himself as Lincs Demolition Ltd for two years, claiming he was registered to remove asbestos to gain lucrative jobs even though he had no legal permit to carry out the work.

Asbestos is a hazardous substance when disturbed and carcinogenic – the UK banned its use in 1999.

Having duped his customers, Charles stashed the waste asbestos in hired storage containers at Welbourn, in Lincolnshire, 200m from a school and close to a Girl Guide centre.

Charles told the owners of the storage space he wanted to keep tools there. When he failed to pay the rent on the containers, the owners forced the locks and were confronted with the dangerous contents.

Paul Salter, an Environmental Waste Crime Officer for the Environment Agency, said: “Lee Charles’ crimes were not just illegal, but dangerous.

"He has been ordered to pay back, and this sends out a clear message to others who flout the law that waste crime does not pay.

“Not only do we use environmental law to prosecute those who abuse the environment, but we also use the Proceeds of Crime legislation to ensure that criminals are deprived of the benefits of their illegal activity.

“We support legitimate businesses, and we are proactively supporting them by disrupting and stopping the criminal element backed up by the threat of tough enforcement as in this case.

“We continue to use intelligence-led approaches to target the most serious crimes and evaluate which interventions are most effective.”

Anyone who sees or suspects waste crime is being committed is urged to report it immediately to CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.