Bakour Limited and company director, Adam Bakour, based at Rushton Farm, Warren House Road in Wokingham, pleaded guilty to offences relating to the attempted shipment of six containers filled with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) to various West African countries.

On 23 March 2015, Reading Crown Court ordered Bakour Limited to pay a fine of £7,950. Adam Bakour, the sole company director, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. Mr Bakour was also ordered to pay a contribution of £5,000 to the costs of the Environment Agency investigation and prosecution.

The court heard that Bakour Ltd offers a professional shipping service for used electrical goods. The company obtained the items for shipment mainly from recycling centres, civic amenity sites and Sunday markets. The items included CRT televisions and fridge freezers, which contain hazardous components. Hazardous WEEE should not be sent to countries lacking the capacity and infrastructure to ensure that the items are treated without risk to human health or the environment.

Six shipping containers loaded with WEEE, some of which was hazardous, were stopped by the Environment Agency between October 2011 and August 2013. The containers were filled with items from and loaded at Bakour Ltd’s premises at Rushton Farm in Wokingham.

Each container was unloaded and examined at the Environment Agency’s dedicated inspection yard. The contents were examined for compliance with European waste shipping laws.

Heather White, Environment Agency Officer said: “Criminals may see illegal waste exports as an easy route to make money but today’s verdict shows that waste crime doesn't pay.

"Sending Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment with hazardous components to less economically developed countries is not only unlawful but immoral. It’s a crime that shows a blatant disregard for the safety and welfare of overseas communities and the environment.” The court also heard that on two occasions Mr Bakour was interviewed under caution about the containers. The defendant stated that his company only exports working electrical goods and does not deliberately ship any waste items. As far as the stopped containers were concerned, Mr Bakour said his employees had not been carrying out their jobs properly.