THE owner of a ‘shocking eyesore’ farm faces a new prosecution over huge mounds of illegal waste.

The Environment Agency and Lancashire County Council are preparing to take John Leslie Allison to court again after he ignored orders to move rubbish from his Hubbs House Farm in Colne.

It would be the latest in a string of prosecutions of the 71-year-old since 2009 over issues including rubbish, illegal fires, dirty agricultural practices and growing cannabis.

Pendle councillors and officials will meet on Friday to discuss the issue with a view to setting up a summit with the Environment Agency, the county council, police and the Health and Safety Executive in a bid to end the saga.

Borough deputy leader Cllr Tony Greaves said: “This farm is a shocking eyesore. It is a blot on the Castercliff Ridge and the beautiful countryside of Pendle.”

“If necessary Mr Allison should be taken through every court in the land till this is sorted out once and for all.”

Pendle Council leader Cllr Mohammed Iqbal said: “This has gone on for too long and needs to be dealt with.”

The Environment Agency and county council confirmed they were preparing to take Mr Allison to magistrates court after he ignored enforcement notices issued in March 2015 and October 2016.

The problems with tipping and fires at the farm, off Knotts Lane between Colne and Nelson, began in 2013 after Mr Allison’s dairy farm was forced to close over public health concerns.

Cllr Greaves said: “These problems are now well into their third year.There has been continued illegal tipping to the extent that the farmhouse itself is now almost engulfed in huge piles of rubbish.

“In spite of a previous successful prosecution by Pendle Council for illegal fires, there have been several more instances of burning of rubbish on the site before and after Christmas.

“LCC chief executive Jo Turton has written to Pendle Central county councillor Dorothy Lord to say they hope to take joint action with the Environment Agency by the end of January, with a view to a prosecution hearing in March.

“If the magistrates court prosecution is successful, the two agencies should be ready to apply to the High Court for an injunction to stop this once and for all.”

An Environment Agency spokesman said it had secured a conviction in 2014 for waste offences at the farm and has since ‘worked with a number of partner authorities on related enforcement action’. The spokesman said: “We have concluded an investigation into more recent suspected offences and a case file has been submitted to our legal team.”

A county council spokesman said the authority was ‘well aware’ of the tipping that has taken place. He said: “Evidence has been collected and is currently being compiled with a view to bringing the matter before the magistrates court in early March.

“It is anticipated the county council and Environment Agency prosecutions will be co-ordinated so they are brought before the court at the same time.”

The Lancashire Telegraph tried to contact Mr Allison including going to the farm, to speak with him, but was prevented gaining access to the premises by barriers across one of the main entrance roads.