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A Somerset man has been hit with a £116,263 fine after being found guilty of disturbing a breeding ground for wading birds and waterfowl. John Holland, 59, of Tapmoor Road, Moorlinch, was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on Wednesday, November 26, after pleading guilty to two offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Natural England investigated Holland for four years and revealed that he transformed the 1.2-hectare grassland site at Long Load within the Wet Moor SSSI into a permanent commercial caravan park. He managed to squeeze in over 90 caravans and 40 vehicles into two fields, laid 300 metres of tarmac roads, and dumped household and commercial waste on the site.
Between 2011 and 2018, Holland and his family made five unsuccessful attempts to gain planning consent to develop the site into a permanent caravan park. These refusals were upheld by the Planning Inspectorate.
The court heard that the SSSI, which also falls within a Special Protection Area and Ramsar site, was designated in 1985. It forms part of the extensive marsh grasslands and ditch systems that make up the Somerset Levels and Moors, a highly protected landscape renowned for its unique biodiversity.
The site provides nationally important breeding habitat for threatened populations of wading birds such as curlew and black-tailed godwit and supports internationally important populations of red-listed bird species including the endangered Bewick's swan, lapwing and pochard, as well as being home to over three per cent of the global population of Eurasian teal.
The investigation found that the work carried out by Holland resulted in habitat loss, displacement and long-term disturbance to the birds. He was charged with two offences in March 2023.
In sentencing Holland, His Honour Judge Richard Shepherd said: "You had numerous opportunities to rectify the damage caused and carried on regardless, which amplified the effects on the site's fauna and flora. This was a deliberate and persistent set of offending which showed a flagrant disregard of the law."
After pleading guilty, Holland, who was also convicted in September 2023 of physically threatening and abusing Natural England officers who visited the site to investigate the initial allegations in 2021, claimed to be bankrupt.
Natural England commenced proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and instructed financial investigators, who found Holland had accrued over £1 million in unexplained cash and assets, which were successfully evidenced to have arisen from his unlawful operation of the caravan park.
The court said that Holland's offences demonstrated a criminal lifestyle and certified he had accumulated £1 million of illicit financial gain from his actions. He was ordered to pay Natural England £116,263.00 within three months. The court noted that the amount it could order Holland to pay was limited in the context of the total illicit benefit accrued owing to his active bankruptcy proceedings.
The court also granted Natural England an order requiring Holland to restore the site to its former condition as semi-natural grassland by January 23, 2026, removing all caravans and associated infrastructure and creating and maintaining habitat for breeding and wintering birds. If he fails to do so, he faces a further unlimited fine plus an additional £100 fine for each day the order is not complied with.
Matt Heard, Natural England national delivery director, said following the hearing: "We welcome the court's judgement, which is the result of four years of dedicated investigation and demonstrates our clear commitment to protecting Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Holland's behaviour has shown blatant contempt for this intentionally important conservation site and the rare and threatened species that depend upon it.
"His actions were completed in full knowledge of the impact they would have, yet he chose to repeatedly disregard Natural England's advice and prioritise achieving significant illicit financial gain over complying with his legal obligations to protect the site."