Video: Hertfordshire farmer faces £40,000 fly-tipping bill
© Adam Lazarri A Hertfordshire farmer could face a £40,000 bill to clear more than 200t of rubbish that was dumped on his land earlier this month.
It is estimated that more than 40 lorry loads of rubbish were dumped on the arable farm on the outskirts of St Albans over the course of three nights, from 7 June.
The latest annual Rural Crime Report by insurers NFU Mutual shows that the cost of rural crime in Hertfordshire rose by 15.5% last year to £1.23m.
Defra figures released in February also highlighted that the English countryside is “drowning in rubbish”, with 1.5m incidents of fly-tipping reported in the past year (2023-24).
The farmer, who wishes to remain anonymous, is worried about the financial and environmental impact this latest incident will have, with farmers and landowners often legally responsible for removing rubbish.
“It is just devastating. This is not covered by insurance and there is just no way that I am going to be able to pay this – I don’t know what I am going to do,” he said.
See also: More councils to seize and crush fly-tippers’ vehicles
“There is a week’s work here to clear it all as well. I have fly-tipping here every week, but I’ve never had it on this scale.
“The situation is getting worse, and it disrupts our ability to produce food and care for the countryside.”
Conservation
The rubbish, which includes asbestos, cannabis waste, timber and office furniture, is said to have ruined an area of land set aside for conservation – to provide food for farmland birds and improve their numbers, through the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
The NFU is calling for an urgent meeting with the leaders of all of Hertfordshire’s district councils and is also working closely with Hertfordshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Environment Agency to address the issue.
© Adam Lazarri
Hertfordshire police and crime commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards said: “Fly-tipping on this scale is a disgrace.
“It has a huge impact on our countryside and can be financially devastating for victims.”
He added that to support the clean-up of this site and help prevent future incidents, he is investigating if support is available through the PCC’s Fly-Tipping Fund to provide financial help to the farmer.