Essex farm hit with £350,000 bill after 2,000-tonne fly-tip

An Essex farming family could be left facing a £350,000 clean-up bill after around 2,000 tonnes of waste were illegally dumped on land they rent.

The Sell family, who farm near Basildon, say they have also potentially lost around 200 tonnes of maize silage grown to feed their livestock.

They are backing calls from the farming industry for changes to the law so victims of fly-tipping are not left responsible for clearing waste dumped on private land.

Landowners and occupiers can be required to remove illegally dumped material and may face enforcement action if it is not dealt with.

Alex Sell, a fifth-generation livestock and arable farmer, said discovering the waste had been devastating.

“Seeing all that rubbish felt like a huge punch in the gut – it’s devastating.”

The waste was dumped on a 16-acre field off Arterial Road in North Stifford, near Grays, sometime between 20 August and 3 September.

The rented field is used to grow maize for livestock feed and is not worked regularly at that time of year, meaning the dumping was not discovered immediately.

Those responsible cut the padlock on the gate and replaced it with another lock, apparently to conceal the break-in. The material appears to have been processed or ground down before being dumped.

Sell believes those responsible may have been paid to dispose of it illegally rather than sending it to landfill.

“I think it’s a completely unfair situation. Organised criminal gangs are wreaking havoc on the countryside, causing great damage to the environment, and getting away with it, while the victims are left with huge clear-up costs.”

The National Audit Office has previously warned that higher landfill tax can increase the financial incentive for waste crime by making illegal disposal more lucrative.

Sell’s family has farmed in Essex since 1894. He runs a mixed beef, sheep and arable business with his wife Gemma, brother Ben and uncle Jonathan, with the main farm near Basildon, around 12 miles from the affected field.

Contractors have estimated that removing the waste could cost around £350,000.

“The quotes I’ve been getting to clear the rubbish are in the region of £350,000. I believe our insurance will cover that, but we will be paying it off in premiums for the next 20 years.”

The family is also assessing the impact on its livestock feed and future cropping plans.

“On top of that, 200 tonnes of maize silage we grew to feed our animals has potentially been ruined, so there is a big increase in costs for animal feed and there will be a major impact on what we can grow on here next year.”

Sell said the incident had created further pressure during an already difficult year for farming.

“We are just trying to make a living, producing food for people. We are renting much of our land, and every acre must pay for itself.”

The NFU is calling for a major overhaul of how large-scale fly-tipping is dealt with, including protection for victims from clean-up costs, stronger penalties and closer co-operation between enforcement bodies.

It also wants a single reporting system so farmers and land managers do not have to contact several organisations following an incident.

Sell said his own experience highlighted how confusing the current process could be.

“When I called the police, they referred me to the Environment Agency, who then referred me back to the police. We’ve also had someone from the district council out here.”

He said the scale of modern fly-tipping was far removed from the smaller incidents often associated with the crime.

“People think of fly-tipping as a fridge dumped in a layby, but fly-tipping is happening at a huge scale now and on a regular basis here in Essex and across the country, with organised criminal gangs taking advantage of a system that is not equipped to deal with it.”

Sell called for tougher action against those behind large-scale waste crime.

“The gangs responsible for these huge fly-tips must be treated like drug gangs. They are causing so much damage to the environment, the countryside, our livelihoods and our ability to produce food for the nation, and they are making fortunes doing it.”

NFU vice-president Robyn Munt said the case demonstrated the financial and environmental impact fly-tipping can have on farms.

“This case in Essex is another awful example of the severe impact of fly-tipping. This is not an isolated incident. Fly-tipping is completely out of control.”

She said farmers were being forced to absorb substantial costs despite being victims of criminal activity.

“Waste crime is costing the farming industry tens of millions of pounds in clear up costs every year, damaging the environment, harming wildlife, scarring the countryside and preventing farmers from producing food.”

The NFU said it would continue pressing for changes to the way fly-tipping is investigated, reported and cleared.

For the Sell family, the immediate challenge remains dealing with thousands of tonnes of waste, the possible loss of livestock feed and uncertainty over how the affected land can be used next year.