A 20 tonne lorry has been seized and crushed after being linked to 28 incidents of large scale fly tipping on farmland.
The vehicle was detained by officers last year after months of surveillance and intelligence gathering as part of Operation Poppy, a joint operation between the Environment Agency and local police.
The lorry has been linked to 28 incidents of large scale illegal dumping of commercial waste in North Staffordshire, Shropshire, South Staffordshire and North Worcestershire.
The vehicle was used to transport and dump large quantities of shredded household commercial waste, varying between 30 and 500 tonnes, on farmland and private wooded estates.
Secured areas were broken into and locks replaced by the offenders.
Gill Heath, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Communities said it took his team 3 days to remove approximately 175 tonnes of rubbish dumped by the lorry.
Environment Agency officers working on the case have since reported a reduction in illegal waste activity in the area since the lorry was seized.
'Unlawful deeds'
Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency said vehicle crushing highlights the lengths officers will go to make criminals pay for their unlawful deeds.
"We are determined to make life hard for waste criminals by preventing and disrupting illegal activity," Ms Boyd said.
"Thanks to the recent £30 million funding from the government and new powers to tackle problematic sites including authority to lock up sites and force rogue operators out of business, we are in a better position to safeguard the environment, local communities and the economy from the effects of waste crime."
Farmers who fall prey to fly tipping are having to shoulder the burden, responsible for meeting the cost of clearing rubbish from their land themselves – at an average cost of £1,000 per incident. They are also liable if the dumped rubbish damages the countryside.
The problem has caused Neil Parish MP, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee, to say that fly tipping is not a victimless crime, and that the onus should not be on landowners and farmers who are innocent and yet face a legal obligation to deal with waste on private land.
