Environment Agency puts brakes on illegal waste site

The intervention at the former industrial site at Wingerworth followed reports from the public about illegal waste dumping.

Environment Agency officers made enquiries on Thursday 30 April following public reports the previous day of suspicious activity at the derelict site.

They found around 100 tonnes of household waste had been deposited or buried on the site.

Follow up visits last week confirmed the activity had ceased and no further dumping had taken place.

The Environment Agency has worked with the landowner, who has now taken steps to secure the site by putting a rock barrier in place.

The Environment Agency is carrying out a criminal investigation, working to track down hauliers involved in vehicle movements.

Communities are the 'eyes and ears'

Ben Hocking, Environment Agency Area Environment Manager said:

Our action at the site has disrupted further illegal waste activity.

This situation really shines a light on the vital role the public plays in stopping waste criminals in their tracks.

Communities are our partners in this - they act as our eyes and ears and reporting information to us as soon as possible means we can take swift action to intervene.

Waste crime blights communities and we're taking faster action to disrupt and prevent activity before it's established.

Waste Minister Mary Creagh said:

These waste cowboys are shameless but we have cracked down hard to stop further damage in Chesterfield.

Our message is simple: break the rules and we will hunt you down.

This Government has a zero-tolerance approach to waste crime. Our Waste Crime Action Plan has new powers and stronger punishments to stop these criminals in their tracks.

The Environment Agency is stepping up it's action on waste crime as part of its new 10 Point Plan - including acting early to address illegal activity before it becomes established.

Building on existing work and partnerships, the focused, sustained programme of action strengthens prevention, improves detection and delivers more consistent enforcement.

Things you can do to help:

• Check the public register of waste carriers before paying anyone to take waste away. If they are not on the register, they are operating illegally.
• Landowners should check any empty land and property regularly to make sure it is secure. They can be liable for illegal waste dumped on their land.
• Report suspected waste crime. Every report helps build the picture that enables earlier action. Report illegal dumping, suspicious waste movements or burning, unlicensed operators, or unusually cheap disposal offers to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or the Environment Agency incident line on 0800 807060.