Asbestos conman who duped Luton customers ordered to pay back £82,100

He was caught after an investigation by the Environment Agency

He kept the harmful material near a school and a children’s centre

A waste criminal who deceived customers across the country, including in Luton, over the disposal of asbestos has been ordered to pay back £82,100.

Lee Charles of Caldicot Gardens, Grantham, had previously pleaded guilty in 2022 to lying to customers and giving false paperwork to hide his deception. For this, he was handed a suspended prison sentence.

Charles was back at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday (May 22) in a case brought by the Environment Agency under the Proceeds of Crime Act, after a financial investigation into the lawful costs he avoided from his crimes. He had marketed himself as Lincs Demolition Ltd for two years, claiming he was registered to remove asbestos to gain lucrative jobs. Charles had no legal permit to carry out the work to remove the hazardous and carcinogenic substance.

After duping his customers, Charles stashed the waste asbestos in hired storage containers at Welbourn, in Lincolnshire. The asbestos, the use of which was banned in 1999, was stored 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. But after not paying the rent, the owners enter and discover 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.”

Charles abandoned the Welbourn storage containers and moved his activities to an unpermitted waste site 16 miles away near Sleaford. Here, he continued to store asbestos unsafely, posing a risk to public health.

Charles previously pleaded guilty to two counts of operating a waste operation without a permit between 2017 and 2019, contrary to Regulations 12, 38(1)(a) and 41(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of keeping or disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm, contrary to Sections 33(1)(c), 33(6) and 157(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.