The House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee recently carried out a short inquiry into waste crime. It took evidence from figures including Kent Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Scott; Dorset PCC David Sidwick; and Richard Las, Chief Investigation Officer and Fraud Investigation Service Director at HM Revenue and Customs. It concluded that serious and organised waste crime such as illegal waste sites and illegal dumping poses an environmental risk; and queried the efficacy of regulatory, monitoring and enforcement regimes and the Government’s plans to address the problem.
The committee pointed to the harmful waste dumped at Hoad’s Wood in Kent; the Environment Agency’s contractor Acumen Waste Services Ltd, this summer began removing more than 30,000 tonnes of household and construction waste. Organised criminals dumped the lorry loads of waste, piled up to 15 feet high in certain areas, in 2023.
Salisbury Plain operation
The authorities in Wiltshire have launched Operation Barn Owl to cover the 97,000-acre Salisbury Plain Training area; the size of the Isle of Wight and a training ground for the British Army. Led by Wiltshire Council’s Environmental Enforcement, under the operation the Army’s HQ Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) and contractor Landmarc Support Services will ensure safe access for council enforcement officers to investigate incidents of tipping before the waste is removed
Temporary Chief Inspector Andy Lemon, from the Rural Crime Team at Wiltshire Police said: “Fly-tipping has a detrimental effect on the environment and our communities.
We have been working in Partnership with Wiltshire Council and the Environment Agency for several years, supporting their work and undertaking proactive activities together. This
behaviour is not only destroying our beautiful countryside but also costing our already stretched local authorities’ tens of thousands of pounds.
“We will continue to fully support the partnership, by working closely together. We encourage the public to continue reporting incidents of Fly Tipping to Wiltshire Council who are the lead agency. If this is being witnessed and those responsible still present, please report on 999 to Wiltshire Police.”
Spends
Among work by local government, in south east London the Royal Borough of Greenwich, has announced a £5m spend against the crime. It’s proposing to install new CCTV to help catch fly-tippers; like other councils, to do ‘naming and shaming’ of offenders and to start a public reward scheme for residents who help it catch fly-tippers in the act.
Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough, said: “Fly-tipping is lazy and criminal, and we’re not putting up with this s*** anymore. We’re collecting around841 tonnes of dumped rubbish a year, which costs our residents over £800,000 a year. That is the equivalent of 50 double decker buses – that’s unacceptable when the vast majority of residents do the right thing and keep the borough clean.
“We’ve heard loud and clear from residents that you’re sick of fly-tipping in our borough – and so are we. That’s why we’re investing millions to get things done in Greenwich.”
In Coventry meanwhile, it too like other councils is using surveillance cameras; it’s pointing to an £80,000 CCTV budget that will see six more cameras deployed over the next four years, bringing the total to 30 cameras positioned at fly-tipping hotspots. It says its Environmental Enforcement staff have in the past 12 months investigated more than 3,000 fly-tipping incidents, examined over 1,400 refuse complaints, and served more than 900 notices requiring landowners to clear waste or address vermin issues. It says recent increases in penalty fines appear to be having an impact. Fines were increased in November 2024: fly-tipping penalties from £200 to £1,000, littering fines from £100 to £500, and ‘Duty of Care’ fines from £200 to £600. The council like others encourages residents to report fly-tipping incidents.
Abdul Salam Khan, Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities, said: “Fly-tipping blights our communities and we’re absolutely committed to tackling this issue head-on.
“The significant investment we’re making demonstrates that we’re listening to residents’ concerns and taking decisive action. Our enforcement teams work incredibly hard investigating thousands of incidents every year, and the new resources we’re deploying – from additional street cleaning teams to expanded CCTV coverage – will make a real difference across Coventry.
“We’re also focusing on education alongside enforcement, because lasting change comes from everyone taking responsibility for keeping our city clean.”
Photo by Mark Rowe: anti-fly-tipping sign, Swale district, north Kent.
