Rogue developer fined and forced to clear East Tilbury building site
Tom Ingleton had failed to clear the Lawns Court site in East Tilbury which had been left to become an 'eyesore'.
Last updated 18 hours ago
A developer who failed to comply with court orders to clear an East Tilbury site has had to pay £17,000 in fines.
At Colchester Magistrates' Court on Friday the 4th of September, Tom Ingleton and his company Ingleton Luxury Homes (The Lawns) Ltd were found guilty of failing to comply with an order Thurrock Council had given him to clear and tidy his site.
Ingleton has planning permission to build 18 homes on the Lawns Court site in East Tilbury, but he allowed it to become a dangerous blight, filled with rubble and debris from the construction and building works undertaken there. He refused to clear the mess he had created, or comply with orders issued by the Council which ordered him to do so.
In 2024, Ingleton was given nearly £7,000 in fines and was ordered by magistrates to clear the site. He did not follow this order until the Council pursued the most recent case against him.
A spokesperson for Thurrock Council said: “This developer stubbornly refused to clear his site despite being ordered by the Council and the courts. His selfish actions created an unsightly and possibly dangerous mess that blighted the lives of his neighbours."
“His refusal to act forced us to bring legal action against him more than once, issue orders for him to clear the site and pursue him through the courts before he obeyed those orders, took responsibility for his mess and started work to clear it."
“This case shows we will doggedly pursue those who think they can flout our orders and negatively impact local communities. We will now be keeping a careful eye on this site to make sure full and proper clearance takes place in line with the court orders.”