TWO companies which allowed an illegal vehicle repair workshop to operate at a farm in Wokingham have been ordered to pay back more than £130,000.

Warren Farms (Wokingham) Ltd, a subsidiary of Luff Developments, and Master Tech Ltd both admitted breaching planning regulations and were sentenced to the fines and proceeds of crime confiscation orders on May 11 at Reading Crown Court.

Confiscation Orders were made for £81,250 against Warren Farm (Wokingham) Ltd, and £41,168 for Master Tech Ltd.

In addition they were fined £12,000 and £3,000 respectively and Master Tech Ltd ordered to pay £2,500 in costs to Wokingham Borough Council.

In March 2008 an enforcement notice was served on a number of the buildings at Warren Farm to prevent unauthorised use, however Master Tech was allowed to move on to the land in January 2013 to operate a vehicle repair businesses despite this contravening the enforcement notice. Council officers visited to site in April 2016 and witnessed the unauthorised activity for themselves.

Despite being issued with a number of enforcement notices, the landowner allowed Master Tech to continue operating at the site until a summons was issued in January 2017.

Cllr Simon Weeks, Wokingham Borough Council's executive member for planning and enforcement, said: “Planning regulations exist to protect all of us and this is another example of how we will take action against people who are breaking the rules. I am particularly delighted that we successfully retrieved so much ill-gotten gain in this case because we need to show that breaking plan law does not pay.”