A RECYCLING firm branded Scotland's worst polluter has been fined a record £200,000 for storing waste without a licence.
Cambuslang-based Doonin Plant was convicted of two charges of keeping hundreds of tonnes of waste in a manner likely to cause pollution.
Company director Gary Doonin, 47, who was found guilty by a jury of two similar charges, had his sentence deferred for one year.
At Livingston Sheriff Court he was warned that if he caused any further pollution he faced being sent to prison.
The fine is the largest ever imposed in Scotland for a breach of environmental regulations.
Outside court, Doonin claimed he was a victim of "persecution" by officials of waste watchdog the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).
He said he intended to appeal against the convictions and the fine imposed on his company.
Mr Doonin insisted: "I've done nothing wrong. There's nobody dead and nobody lost any limbs. My record is impeccable.
"At that time I had 10 waste management licence exemptions which allowed me to store up to 100,000 tonnes of waste at any one time."
The court was told his multimillion-pound family firm – founded by his father Frank 50 years ago – would soon cease trading but still had enough assets to pay a fine.
At its peak Doonin Plant, which produced recycled aggregate for major engineering projects such as the M74 extension, employed more than 50 people.
The decision to stop trading meant 27 people had been made redundant at a cost to the company of nearly £200,000.
John Hamilton, QC, for Doonin Plant, said it was wrong of the Crown to describe the company as the worst polluter in Scotland. He said: "Sepa publishes a list of its worst polluters every year and Doonin Plant has never been on that list. This is a company which obviously has spent time con-sidering its position with regard to responsibility for the environment."
He said all waste had now been cleared from the former coal bing at Woodend Colliery, near Armadale, West Lothian.
The company was being wound up because it had no further wish to be involved in this area of work, he said.
Stephen Semple, defending Doonin, said his client accepted his guilt but still maintained he had abided by environmental legislation.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Douglas Kinloch said the company had been found guilty of a large-scale operation which involved a "serious and significant breach" of the legislation which posed a real danger to the environment and public health.
He said the fact the firm had been fined for a similar offence only a few months before the 2010 incident and had previous con-victions showed a "blatant dis-regard" for the law.
The sheriff said: "The appropriate penalty is a fine. Any fine must be enough to bring the message home – not only to those who manage the company but also to others – that statutory provisions are designed to protect the environment must be taken seriously."
He allowed the company three months to realise assets to pay the £200,000 fine.
Ian Buchanan, of Sepa, said the conviction was significant. He said: "Justice has been done for Scotland's environment. The sentence delivered is a positive result for the public, who care about the environment, and legitimate waste operators who have been undermined by the actions of Mr Doonin and Doonin Plant.
"By carrying out such activities, the company and its director demonstrated a complete lack of consideration for the environment and we hope the sentence acts as a deterrent to any operators considering breaking the law."
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