Judge is furious over held up court proceedings

District judge Stephen Earl has publicly announced his fury at waste management company Biffa Waste Services Ltd for holding up court proceedings.

Biffa should have been seen and tried by the judge much earlier, owing to water pollution charges enforced on the company.

The group has admitted polluting the water from a landfill site at Houghton-le-Spring in County Durham, which serves thousands of homes in the north-east area.

However, Biffa was not tried when the judge wanted, and instead requested another adjournment due to a change in solicitor.

Judge Earl was apparently furious at the change in date, as he was hoping to prosecute the company at the earliest date possible.

Addressing Tim Horlock QC, newly appointed to represent Biffa, he said: “I’m quite furious.

“The fact you haven’t done anything for three to four months is a very important matter.

“As much as this is a complicated case for everybody, actually let’s keep one thing in mind – these are summary proceedings and that’s what I would have anticipated in the last 12 months.

“I don’t want to have a witch hunt but I will if the delay is such that it becomes unpalatable."

The judge has said that he wants to bring the whole debacle to an end, as the entire community has been left in an unsure state.

Understandably, people in the area are incredibly irritated by the situation, as it has affected them directly.

Mr Horlock QC is reported as admitting to the unsatisfactory proceedings in Journal Alive.

Despite this, Biffa still wants more time to get its case fully together.

The five charges brought to the judge date from 2010 and 2011, and are all pollution-based.

The case has now got a set date of February 20th, although this is not the first time the company has been brought to court.

Indeed, only last July it was fined thousands over different environmental issues.