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.
Background:
- A spokesperson is available for interview.
- These incidents form part of Operation Eagle, the Environment
Agency's investigation into large-scale illegal waste deposits
across the south-east and east of England.
- For more tips about how to avoid waste criminals read our
blogs:
Property
and Landowners – how to avoid waste criminals – Creating a better
place
Farmers –
Protect yourselves from waste criminals – Creating a better
place
Environment Agency action on waste crime
- Waste crime undermines legitimate businesses and costs
England's economy around £1 billion a year in
damages.
- The Environment Agency continues to work with compliant
businesses and operators to turn the tide on waste crime and
protect the environment and communities.
- In 2024/25, the Environment Agency successfully stopped
activity at 743 illegal waste sites, of which 143 were high
risk.
- In 2020, the Environment Agency established the
Joint Unit for Waste Crime, a multi-agency taskforce to share
intelligence and operational capability and capacity to tackle
serious and organised criminality in the waste
sector.
- Through the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, the Environment
Agency works with police forces, the National Crime Agency, HMRC,
the National Fire Chiefs Council and devolved bodies to
counter the most serious offenders.
- Last year, the Environment Agency announced a new Economic
Crime Unit within its National Environmental Crime Unit, created
to target the money and assets of waste criminals.
- At the end of 2024/25, there were 21 ongoing money laundering
investigations that we were providing support on. It also secured
five account freezing orders and one cash detention – £17.9k
forfeited, £2.9 million frozen – and finalised 13
confiscation orders totalling £1.55
million.
- The Environment Agency is part of the National Fly-Tipping
Prevention Group, which seeks to identify good practice
in preventing and tackling fly-tipping and
to advise government on problems and potential solutions
regarding fly-tipped waste.
