News

Telford-based wine merchant Western Wines has been hit with a record charge of more than £230,000 for failing to comply with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations.

Western Wines was fined £225,000 on Tuesday (22 January) for nine offences of failing to meet recovery and recycling targets and avoiding registration fees from 2003 to 2005.

The firm, which was bought by Constellation Europe in 2006, was also ordered to pay £3,230 in costs and £2,486 in compensation to the Environment Agency.

Last October, Telford Magistrates' Court found the company guilty of failing to comply with the legislation. But it passed sentencing to Shrewsbury Crown Court because the maximum fine it could impose of £5,000 for each offence "would not have reflected the amount Western Wines had failed to pay".

Environment Agency officer David Lloyd said the large fine highlighted the "seriousness of the offence".

In 2005, Western Wines was asked to complete an Environment Agency questionnaire that indicated possible breaches of the legislation.

A spokesman for Constellation Europe said that, during the period in question, Western Wines was "undergoing changes in the way it conducted its business and was not aware that those changes resulted in obligations under the Packaging Waste Regulations".

"These breaches occurred prior to Constellation's acquisition of Western Wines and the current owner and management has ensured that the business of Western Wines continues with its compliance," he added.

Western Wines has joined the Valpak scheme and is fully compliant with the regulations.