In some cases, organised crime groups (OCGs) are said to be making a fortune from disposing of rubbish
Illegal waste is being shipped into Kent from as far afield as Scotland and Wales and dumped on illicit landfill sites, it has been revealed.
In some cases, organised crime groups (OCGs) are said to be making a fortune from disposing of rubbish, often in plain sight.
The Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, says some of the waste is being moved “huge distances” into the county.
“It’s coming in from all over, including Scotland and Wales,” said Mr Scott. He has warned that criminal enterprises are damaging “our neighbourhoods, wildlife and heritage”.
The commissioner claims the situation across the country has been allowed to grow in scale because the bodies responsible, such as senior police leadership, the Environment Agency (EA) and local authorities, do not always collaborate effectively.
The issue came back into the spotlight after a huge dump was discovered on farmland next to the River Cherwell and the A34 at Kidlington in Oxfordshire.
The most infamous example in Kent is Hoads Wood, near Ashford, while other large waste sites have been identified at Eastchurch Gap, on the Isle of Sheppey, Brambletree Wharf, near Rochester, and Raspberry Hill Farm at Iwade.
Another site has been identified at Basser Hill, just two miles from Raspberry Hill Farm, and is being investigated by the EA.
Specialist environmental crime officers instructed the landowner on November 24 during a visit to clear the existing waste and stop accepting any more.
Mr Scott said the waste itself can come from a wide variety of different sources, such as clearances or building development.
As has been identified at Kidlington, discarded plastics, metals, dangerous chemicals and oil can end up at illegal sites, presenting a hazard to the environment if they enter rivers and streams.
In some cases, OCGs may buy up land for the sole purpose of trucking waste in for profit and to avoid landfill taxes.
“It’s as lucrative as other forms of organised crimes, otherwise they wouldn’t be doing it,” the commissioner added.
He warned that policing leadership and government ministers “must learn” from national scandals around huge-scale waste crime.
Mr Scott spent time with Kent Police on Operation Assist, which aims to intercept vehicles loaded with illegal cargo. One stopped had travelled from Pembrokeshire and was overloaded.
He said: “Organised crime groups are damaging our neighbourhoods, wildlife and heritage and don’t fear the consequences. They are making millions off the back of our rural areas, leaving taxpayers and businesses with the bill.
“And policing knows who they are, as they have been involved in multiple crime types. The strategy effectively cleans its hands of fly-tipping and waste crime by dismissing it as the responsibility of others.
“Whilst different agencies do have powers, policing has a clear role to play in intelligence gathering – intelligence which is often lost due to a lack of collaboration – and stopping crimes in action.”
Mr Scott was not aiming his criticisms at local policing, “which is doing some productive work,” but at the wider national problem.
He added: “Ministers must step up and provide the capacity, capability and resources to fight back against organised waste crime and all agencies must play their part.”
Conservative KCC member Sarah Hudson “totally” agreed with Mr Scott’s assessments. She said: “I remember when the Conservatives were in government, writing to the Environment Minister at the time, expressing frustrations that the various agencies were not working in a joined-up way.
“This has allowed this to go on and on. We have to put a stop to the situation where individual entities do things without consulting the others. This should apply to the issuing of waste licences – each has to have a responsibility to speak to the other.
“This is complicated by the fact that some of these organised crime groups can be violent, which can cause reticence to act.”
An EA spokesman said the investigation at Hoads Wood continues after arrests were made in February and that officers are “working flat out to bring perpetrators to justice”.
He added: “We share the public’s anger on waste crime – beautiful woodland spoiled by people who don’t care about that. It’s just about making money. We will seek to claim any money back from the offenders.”
The EA says that waste crime costs the economy around £1bn a year and is “determined to turn the tide”.
To report waste crime confidentially, call the Environment Agency’s 24-hour hotline on 0800 807060 or through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
