A ‘RECKLESS’ takeaway owner has been left with a £4,000 court bill after his fire-damaged equipment was dumped in two rural locations.

Abdulreza Moghadam, 45, who owns Atish takeaway in Maryport, was ‘horrified’ to learn the waste had been discarded illegally after paying a man £320 to dispose of it.

He admitted two flytipping offences when he appeared at Workington Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Outlining the case, Geraldine McDonald, for Cumberland Council, said waste had been deposited on land off the A594 at Limefoot Farm in Broughton Moor before September 18 last year. Among the waste was food packaging and FoodHub receipts from Atish takeaway in Maryport.

A second report of flytipping was then received which had taken place on land off the B5301 near Plumbland. Among this waste were cardboard boxes, plastic crates and leaflets from Atish takeaway.

Ms McDonald said there were large amounts of food industry waste and also plaster board, which contains large amounts of sulphates, and can cause a chemical reaction to take place when it gets wet. This creates a toxic gas called hydrogen sulphide which can have a poisonous and corrosive effect on the land.

The court heard that the field gate was left open after the waste had been tipped and this could have caused a ‘significant risk’ to livestock and road users.

The rural lane where the flytipping took place is an access road for a number of communication masts in the area which need to be accessed daily. The contractors were forced to park on the roadside and walk a significant distance with tools to carry out the required checks.

Ms McDonald said Mr Moghadam had been ‘reckless’ while in a position of responsibility with the business. He failed to check if the person who disposed of the waste had a licence to do so.

John Cooper, defending, said: “The main reason he’s ended up in this situation is he’s had a fire at the takeaway. A lot of the equipment had to be taken out and taken away en masse.

“He made arrangements with a gentleman at Great Broughton.”

The court heard that the man had given Mr Moghadam an invoice for £320 with his name and address on.

Mr Cooper said: “He’s taken rubbish away on one day. It looks like it has been tipped in two different places. He had no idea this would happen.

“He doesn’t even drop sweet wrappers in the street. He always makes sure it goes in the bin. He is horrified this has happened. He has a respected business in Maryport. He is recovering from the fire.”

Mr Cooper said the fine was going to hit Mr Moghadam ‘very, very hard’.

Joshua James, acting chair of the magistrates, said Mr Moghadam had found himself in a ‘rather unfortunate situation’ but his actions were ‘reckless’.

Mr Moghadam, of Curwendale, Stainburn, Workington, was fined a total of £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,182.60 in compensation to Limefoot Farm. He must also pay £150 costs and an £800 surcharge.