Van crushed by council after cannabis farm fly-tipping

Nation.Cymru staff

A van involved in the fly-tipping of dangerous waste from a cannabis farm near Resolven has now been crushed.

Neath Port Talbot Council successfully prosecuted four men and a woman
following the discovery of waste on land in Rheola Forestry, which is owned by
Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

They were ordered to pay a combined total of nearly £7,000 by Swansea
Magistrates Court after correspondence was found within the waste that helped identify those responsible.

Neath Port Talbot Council brought the prosecutions following an investigation which combined documentary evidence, CCTV footage, witness accounts and interviews.

All five individuals were sentenced on the 21 May 2026 and the vehicle that was used to dump the waste was crushed on Wednesday 10th June after being forfeited to the council.

The local authority said it hopes the destruction of the vehicle will serve as a strong deterrent to others considering similar offences.

Four of the defendants admitted offences at an earlier hearing at Swansea Magistrates’ Court in February, while a fifth was convicted following a trial in May.

Anthony Jones, 32, of Wheatley Road, Neath, was found guilty of failing to ensure waste was disposed of lawfully.

The court heard that Ian Jenkins, 39, of no fixed abode, had also failed in his duty of care regarding the disposal of the waste.

Keiron Powell, 29, and Darcy Thomas, 30, both of Greenwood Road, Neath, pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing controlled waste and transporting waste without a waste carrier’s licence.

Stephen John Powell, 54, also of Greenwood Road, admitted allowing a vehicle under his control to be used to unlawfully deposit controlled waste.

The five defendants were ordered to pay a combined total of £6,822 in fines, costs and victim surcharges.

Keiron Powell and Darcy Thomas each received financial penalties totalling £1,830, while Anthony Jones was ordered to pay £1,406.

Ian Jenkins was ordered to pay £944 and Stephen Powell £812.

Cabinet Member for Streetscene, Cllr Scott Jones said: “We have beautiful areas of forestry and countryside throughout the Neath Port Talbot County and people should be able to enjoy it responsibly without encountering dangerous deposits like this.

“We hope this sends a strong message that regardless of how minor you think your role is in the illegal disposal of waste, you will still be held responsible.”

James Roseblade, Land Management Senior Officer for Natural Resources Wales, said: “Illegal waste disposal continues to be a serious and unacceptable blight on our communities, our environment, and our economy.

“Tackling this activity and bringing perpetrators to account remains one of our highest priorities.

“Waste crime takes many forms, operating at different scales, and costs businesses, landowners and taxpayers millions of pounds each year.

“It also causes significant harm to the environment, human health and wildlife.

“We welcome the court’s decision in this case and hope it sends a clear message that waste-related crime will not be tolerated and will be punished and Natural Resources Wales and its partners will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those who break the law.”