THE chairman of a regeneration group has vowed to appeal after he his firm was convicted in connection with flytipping.

Cyril Thomas, director of Platinum Crown Investments Limited, Colchester, was told by a court the firm adopted a “cavalier” approach towards waste.

It was handed a bill of £10,500 when Mr Thomas, who is chairman of Hythe Forward, appeared at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Tuesday.

It previously denied two waste offences, but was found guilty.

A van full of plastic, cardboard, carpet and wiring was found dumped in Brantham in April 2013.

The court heard it had been dumped there by Conan Coles, who was a contractor for Platinum Crown.

When officers from Babergh Council removed the waste, a fire alarmbox with details of the supplier was found.

This was then traced back to properties in Colchester which were being renovated by Platinum Crown, which is based on Hythe Hill.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Thomas, who until 2013 was a board member of Colchester Borough Homes, said Platinum Crown strongly refuted the charges made by Babergh Council.

He said when the firm started up five years ago, the Environment Agency told him contractors did not need a licence to take items away.

Mr Thomas added: “The courts found Platinum Crown not guilty of flytipping, although convicted on a lesser charge of duty of care.

“We are disheartened by the way inwhich officers at Babergh Council treat small businesses who make every effort to run their business in the correct way.

“It should be noted the independent contractor who was found responsible for the fly tipping offence confirmed in court Platinum Crown had no responsibility for his actions. This was accepted by the judge.

“We remain convinced we followed best practice in relation to guidelines issued by the Environment Agency.

“Platinum Crown’s solicitor has advised he believes we have strong grounds to appeal the conviction and we are seriously considering our position on this matter.”

In sentencing, the judge stated Platinum Crown was running a substantial enterprise and had adopted a “cavalier” approach towards waste.

It was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £8,000 costs.

James Buckingham, Babergh and Mid Suffolk Councils’ corporate manager for environmental protection, said: “The judgement makes it clear those companies which manage building projects are legally responsible for ensuring contractors they engage move and dispose of waste in accordance with the law.

“As we have seen, companies which do not have proper waste disposal agreements, or contracts in place with their contractors, are leaving themselves open to being implicated in flytipping offences.

“This conviction against Platinum Crown Investments should serve as a warning to all businesses to ensure their waste is disposed of legitimately.”