Caravan Park owner fined for disturbing a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

A caravan owner has been ordered to pay £116,263 after being found guilty of disturbing a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). He pleaded guilty to two offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. 

This site serves as an important breeding ground for wading birds and waterfowl.  

Natural England brought the prosecution after a four-year investigation into the park owners’ activities. The investigation found that he had turned a 1.2-hectare grassland into a caravan park. The protected landscape comprised 90 caravans and 40 vehicles spread across two fields. Those fields also became a dumping ground for household and commercial waste. 

Natural England commenced proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. As the Natural England Investigation uncovered that the park owner had accrued £1 million of illicit financial gain from his actions, the court ordered a fine and required the park owner to restore the site to its former condition.