Farmers warned of winter waste crime surge

Farmers across the South East and East of England are being urged to tighten security on their land this winter as organised gangs escalate large-scale fly-tipping, leaving victims with clear-up bills of more than £6,000 for each incident.

The Environment Agency (EA) says criminals are exploiting dark evenings to force locked gates and dump lorry loads of shredded waste on farmland, industrial land, tracks and rural lay-bys.

The warning follows a series of major discoveries across the region, including a vast illegal waste site in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, where a “mountain” of rubbish stretching 150m and up to 6m high was dumped.

See also: What to do if you’re a victim of… fly-tipping

The Kidlington site is one of several newly identified large-scale deposits now under investigation as part of Operation Eagle, the EA’s probe into organised waste crime across the South East and East of England.

EA environment officer Peter Lennard urged increased checks and blocking of vulnerable access points.

“We need farmers and landowners to stay vigilant this winter, particularly with darker evenings,” he said.

“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.”

CLA warning

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) warned that waste dumping is becoming a growing burden on rural businesses.

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.”

NFU East regional board vice-chairman George Gittus said the problem was causing serious environmental harm and financial strain. “Industrial-scale incidents can cost individual farmers tens of thousands of pounds in clear-up costs,” he added.

Lords demand answers 

The renewed warning comes as the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change committee intensifies scrutiny of the EA’s response to large illegal dumping sites across England.

Committee chairman Baroness Sheehan wrote to the agency (PDF) demanding answers after further “highly environmentally damaging” sites in Wigan, Kidlington and Worcestershire were exposed by the media.

An EA spokesman dismissed claims of poor disclosure as “inaccurate”, insisting: “The Environment Agency is relentlessly pursuing waste criminals – last year alone our dedicated teams successfully stopped activity at 743 illegal waste sites.”

The EA is urging farmers to report any suspicious activity, including unusual lorry movements, activity at odd hours and signs such as unusual odours or pests, on its 24-hour hotline, 0800 807060.