Fly-tippers will have their vehicles crushed under new crackdown on ‘waste cowboys’ – UK Times

Fly-tippers will have their cars and vans seized and crushed under a new crackdown targeting so-called “waste cowboys”.

Ministers warn the problem is “soaring” with more than 1.1 million fly-tipping incidents in England each year.

Now drones and mobile CCTV vans will used to identify vehicles used to dump waste.

Those responsible for fly-tipping will also face up to five years in prison under new legislation.

As part of the drive, the government plans to slash red tape currently blocking councils from taking and destroying vehicles.

Fly-tippers will also have to pay to have their car crushed, so the burden does not fall to taxpayers. At the moment the local authority usually covers the cost.

Criminals caught transporting and dealing with waste illegally will also now face up to half a decade in jail.

Environment secretary Steve Reed said perpetrators “who blight our towns and villages have gone unpunished for too long”.

He said he would not stand by “while this avalanche of rubbish buries our communities”.

Fly-tipping has risen skyrocketed by a fifth, while the number of prosecutions has fallen by the same amount, since 2018.

However, countryside leaders warn the problem is even greater than official figures suggest as they only include rubbish dumped on public land, while farmers and rural businesses face stress, disruption and “staggering” costs to clear up waste illegally left on private land.

The statistics show that last year, some 60 per cent of cases involved household waste, with 688,000 incidents, ranging from black bags of waste to the contents of shed clearances, furniture, carpets and DIY.

The most common place for fly-tipping to happen was on pavements and roads, accounting for 37 per cent of incidents, according to a map of England.

Under the plans, the Environment Agency will also be given more powers to issue enforcement notices and hefty fines.

Philip Duffy, its chief executive, said: “Waste crime is toxic. Criminals’ thoughtless actions harm people, places, and the economy, blighting our communities and disrupting legitimate businesses.

“At the Environment Agency, we’re determined to bring these criminals to justice through tough enforcement action and prosecutions.”

Councils already have the power to take vehicles linked to fly-tipping, but the move is not widely used. Just two councils, West Northamptonshire and Kingston-upon-Thames in London, accounted for most of the vehicles seized last year.

In 2018, a study by the Home Office suggested that criminals may use waste management activities, such as operating illegal waste sites, as a cover for crimes including theft, human trafficking, fraud, drugs supply, firearms supply and money laundering.