Waste gangs face £5,000 fines in new crackdown

Farmers hit by illegal waste dumping could see tougher action against organised waste gangs under a new government crackdown involving £5,000 fines and greater use of asset seizures.

The package will bring increased police and National Crime Agency involvement, greater use of drones and more Environment Agency officers on the frontline.

Maximum fines for certain waste offences are set to rise from £300 to £5,000, while authorities will have greater capacity to seize cash, vehicles, houses and other assets bought with the proceeds of waste crime.

However, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has warned that innocent farmers can still be left paying to clear waste illegally dumped on their land.

CLA president Gavin Lane said: "We have argued for years that organised waste gangs should be treated like organised criminals, so stronger police involvement, better intelligence sharing and seizing the vehicles and assets they rely on are all steps in the right direction."

He said the effectiveness of the crackdown would depend on criminals believing they were likely to be caught and punished.

"But our members have heard promises of crackdowns before, and fines and new powers will only deter criminals if they believe they will actually be caught," Lane said.

"We will judge this by what happens on the ground, from prosecutions to vehicle seizures and the confiscation of criminal assets."

The government said large-scale illegal waste sites are often linked to serious organised crime and intends to target the networks, vehicles, routes and sites involved.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "The days of making easy money out of waste are over. We’re giving authorities the powers to hunt down the people responsible. We will seize their assets and shut their operations down."

New powers under the Crime and Policing Act 2026 will also be used to speed up enforcement of confiscation orders.

A new Waste Crime Crackdown Group, chaired by Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle, will bring together regulators and law enforcement agencies.

West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester will be the first areas to trial a region-led approach, with mayors and council leaders co-ordinating councils, police, regulators and other enforcement bodies.

Eagle said: "This isn't just about people dumping rubbish. Large-scale waste sites are fuelled by serious, organised crime, and we need to use the full force of the law to tackle it and root it out at source."

The measures build on the government's Waste Crime Action Plan and the first phase of Operation Unite.

Environment Agency figures show the operation resulted in 42 site visits, 17 permits being suspended or revoked and more than 30 criminal investigations being launched.

A follow-up phase will focus on priority operators, vehicles, routes and sites, with resources directed towards the highest-risk threats.

The government has also identified three major illegal waste sites for clearance, subject to feasibility assessments.

They are at Power Station Road on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, Aymer Close in Runnymede, Surrey, and Midland Road in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Together, the sites contain around 22,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste and are estimated to be affecting about 2,900 families.

The clean-up and wider enforcement measures will be funded from existing government budgets.

Lane said tougher enforcement must also address the financial consequences for farmers who become victims of illegal dumping.

"There is still a glaring injustice for farmers who can wake up to a lorry-load of waste dumped on their land and then be left paying to clear up somebody else’s crime," he said.

"Innocent landowners should not be left carrying that cost."