TWO SKIP firm bosses have been banned from being directors after ignoring court orders over their site.

Mark and Rachel Penfold ran Skip-It Containers, and Skip-It Containers and Recycling Limited at North Quay Road, Newhaven.

Investigations found that waste was being left at the site for longer than permitted and stored illegally.

The siblings, aged 49 and 45, “consistently ignored” Environment Agency advice about how to make their business compliant.

At Brighton Magistrates’ Court they each admitted five counts of failing to comply with environmental permit conditions, and failing to comply with enforcement notices.

The company was ordered to pay more than £30,000 in costs, while the duo were fined more than £1,000 each.

Their company, Skip-It Containers, ran the site in Newhaven from November 2012 to May 2017, which went bust.

The new company, Skip-It Containers and Recycling, has failed to file accounts, and Companies House said the firm is currently facing insolvency proceedings.

The Penfolds were also prosecuted and fined £5,000 in April last year for illegally stockpiling tonnes of waste at a depot in Portslade.

In that instance they had to pay compensation for the land owner’s waste clearance costs in the sum of £27,522 and the Environment Agency’s costs of £4,778.25 to be paid in full.

Meanwhile, The Argus previously reported how the Penfold’s parents John, 77, and Stephanie, 69, were told to pay more than £20,000 in compensation by HM Revenue and Customs over unpaid tax.

Michael Turner of the Environment Agency said: “As directors of waste companies operating for many years, I met Mark and Rachel Penfold and made clear my expectations that they should comply with the laws in place.

“It is incredibly disappointing that despite previous prosecutions and our efforts to bring this particular site into compliance, our help and advice was consistently ignored throughout.

“Unregulated waste activities undercut legitimate local businesses, can cause suffering to local communities, create fire risk and harm to the environment. This case will send a warning to other waste operators that the Environment Agency will not tolerate these harmful and illegal practices.”

Mark Penfold, of Cokeham Gardens, Sompting, was banned from being a company director for three years and must pay a £1,166 fine, with a £116 surcharge.

Rachel Penfold, of The Green, Southwick, was also banned for three years, and must pay a £1,083 fine, with a £108 surcharge.