Farmers have welcomed new rules to help crack down on waste crime. The new rules aim to create cleaner communities.
The legislative amendments will speed up prosecutions for rogue waste site operators, making it easier to take action against those flouting the law.
The changes come as part of the Government’s ongoing crackdown on waste crime, which costs the UK economy £568 million a year and diverts as much as £1 billion each year away from legitimate business operations.
The CLA has welcomed new rules that have come into effect to help crack down on waste crime.
The legislative amendments, which came into force on 30 October, will speed up action against rogue waste site operators.
CLA President Henry Robinson said: “Landowners and landlords have been left exposed to waste operators that have either gone bankrupt or disappeared leaving large amounts of waste on site. This abandoned waste then becomes the responsibility of the landowner. This can be extremely costly and can cause both environmental and safety problems.
“We welcome these legislative changes, which will allow the Environment Agency to take early action by revoking a permit. This can prevent continued stock-piling of waste, which means the landowner is less likely to be exposed to clear up costs on the same scale as some have been faced with before now due to rogue waste operators.
“Defra figures earlier this year suggested fly-tipped waste on private land costs the rural business sector between £50 - £150 million in clean up costs every year. The CLA has called for culprits to be dealt with more robustly for years and we will continue to press for greater powers for enforcement authorities.”
They also come ahead of the introduction of fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping next year, giving local authorities an alternative to costly prosecution.
Resource Minister Rory Stewart said: "Waste crime blights communities and poses a risk to human health which is why we need to crackdown on the dangerous minority that flout the law.
"Tackling the problem at its root will help us to protect our beautiful natural environment, build a more efficient waste industry and support legitimate operations."
Gillian Pratt, Acting Director of Regulated Industry at the Environment Agency, said: "We welcome the strengthened powers that come into effect today. They will allow us to take faster and even tougher action against waste criminals.
"If an operator breaches their permit we will now be able to act more swiftly than before to bring them back into compliance – or they may face suspension or legal action."
