Large-scale waste dumping in East Anglia, costing farmers more than £6,000 per incident to clear. Criminal gangs targeting farmland with lorry loads of waste.
Farmers and landowners across East Anglia are being asked to stay vigilant this winter as waste criminals continue to dump lorry loads of illegal waste on rural land under cover of darkness.
The Environment Agency is working in partnership with local police, the National Farmers Union (NFU), the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and local authorities to tackle these criminals. Offenders are saving thousands of pounds in disposal costs whilst leaving landowners facing bills of £6,000 or more to clear each load.
Criminals are forcing their way past locked gates to dump shredded waste on carefully selected sites including farmers' tracks and fields, lanes, industrial land, parkland and laybys.
Peter Lennard, an environment officer for the Environment Agency, said:
We need farmers and landowners to stay vigilant this winter, particularly with darker evenings. We advise they carry out regular inspections of their land, identify hidden spots where heavy goods vehicles can gain easy access, and put in roadblocks and CCTV cameras where possible.
Waste crime pollutes the environment, undercuts legitimate business, and significantly affects farmers and rural communities.
Peter Ewin, rural advisor for CLA East, said:
Illegal waste dumping is a blight on our countryside and a burden on rural businesses. The CLA urges landowners to take proactive steps heading into the darker months to secure their land, report incidents swiftly, and understand their legal responsibilities.
George Gittus, NFU regional board vice-chair for the east of England, and a farmer near Bury St Edmunds, said:
The dumping of waste is a huge issue across the region, damaging the environment and seriously disrupting farmers' work. Industrial-scale incidents can cost individual farmers tens of thousands of pounds in clear-up costs.
The Environment Agency urges farmers and landowners to report any suspicious activity, including more lorry movements than expected for a business, activities on site at strange hours of the day and night, and evidence of unusual odours and/or pests. Anyone who has information about illegal waste activity should contact the Environment Agency hotline on 0800 807060, so we catch these criminals and protect our rural communities.
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