A former community councillor is to have £15,000 confiscated after creating an illegal rubbish dump that could have caused environmental harm.
Ernest McPherson’s tip at Wester Cartmore Farm, Lochgelly, contained an estimated 85,000 tonnes of rubbish.
The 70-year-old, who lives at Easter Cartmore Farm, was made subject of a confiscation order at Dunfermline Sheriff Court after he failed to meet a Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) requirement to remove the unlicensed waste.
McPherson was chairman of Lochgelly Community Council.
Sepa monitored the site at Wee Mary Bing, which he ran between 2006 and 2012.
In April 2011 it ordered McPherson to shift the rubbish but he failed to do so.
McPherson had admitted an environmental offence in September 2013 and in May last year was given a six-month restriction of liberty order.
After the confiscation order was granted Lindsey Miller, procurator fiscal for organised crime and counter-terrorism said: “The illegal and unauthorised waste management activities of Ernest McPherson had the potential to cause significant environmental harm and, by not adhering to the lawful requirements, could reduce the available business and undermine the viability of responsible operators.
“The order imposed should send a clear message to those who do not comply with our environmental laws.”
Mr McPherson said: “The material on the site was historical mining blaes and the amount of waste removed from the site was only four tonnes under Sepa supervision and not 85,000 tonnes.
“There was no contamination or health issues posed by this waste.”
The money confiscated will be reinvested in the community through the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities programme, which uses funds seized from criminals for the benefit of children and young people.