A company boss who flouted environmental regulations by storing thousands of tonnes of waste on his site has been jailed for eight months.

John Millen had an exemption which allowed him to store 100 tonnes in Gas Road, Sittingbourne.

But an investigation by the Environment Agency in December 2014 revealed his company K M Millen Grab Hire had almost 40,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste.

Maidstone Crown Court heard 51-year-old Millen was repeatedly warned about clearing the site but failed to do so.

The Agency say the limits of the exemption are in place to ensure that construction and demolition waste that can be used without treatment is stored correctly before it is moved to be reused.

A judge had been urged by Millen’s lawyer to suspend the sentence so that he could remove the remaining waste.

Martin Hooper, defending, said if Millen went to jail the waste would have to be removed at public expense and he would not be able to pay costs.

But Judge Philip St John-Stevens said it had to be immediate custody.

Millen admitted unauthorised deposit of controlled waste between December 2014 and March 2015.

As he was subject to a Voluntary Arrangement over debts, the company was put in his wife Kim’s name, but he accepted he was responsible for its day to day running.

Alan Cansdale, environment manager at the Environment Agency said: “Mr Millen was fully aware that he was not allowed to store that amount of waste on the site, but continued to accept more construction and demolition waste whilst ignoring the advice and guidance issued to him by Environment Agency Officers. His actions put the environment at risk.

“Waste crime can undermine legitimate businesses, so we work closely with businesses to help them comply with the law.

“In cases like this, where illegal operations are connected to licensed businesses, we have no hesitation in prosecuting those involved. We want to make sure that waste crime doesn’t pay.”