Business

Two sausage producers have been told to pay a total of £15,000 for breaching packaging recovery and recycling laws.

James T Blakeman & Co, a supplier to the catering and fast-food markets, and James T Blakeman (Services), which supplies the ready meal and contract cooking sectors, each pleaded guilty to seven charges at Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates' Court on 8 January.

The firms and their holding company, James T Blakeman & Co (Holdings), had not registered as producers of packaging in 2004 and 2005, and registered late in 2006, breaching their duties under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.

These require companies with annual sales of more than £2m and who handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year to register with the Environment Agency or a compliance scheme by 7 April each year.

A solicitor for the companies told the court they were "mortified" that they had not been aware of the regulations until they were first contacted by the Environment Agency in July 2006.

James T Blakeman (Services) was fined £3,200 while James T Blakeman & Co was fined £8,250 and ordered to pay compensation and costs.