Drone squad armed with lasers to tackle illegal rubbish dumps
More than 30 trained pilots are set to join forces to tackle illegal fly tipping that is increasingly blighting the Britain.
A human-piloted 'drone squad' armed with lasers has been unveiled by the Environment Agency in a bid to tackle soaring levels of fly-tipping.
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Unveiling the high-flying concept, the unit will comprise of 33 trained drone pilots, with The Environment Agency (EA) harnessing laser mapping in a bid to identify and tackle waste crime.
Of the EA’s 54 drones, a number are set to be equipped with light detection and ranging (Lidar) technology - a concept that sees millions of laser points per second fired at the ground, creating a detailed map of sites.
The “drones squad” will also be combined with an upgraded tech rollout in the form of a new screening tool that enables officers to scan and cross-check lorry licence applications against a database of waste permit records.
The technology comes as environment secretary Emma Reynolds vowed to "aggressively" pursue waste criminals.
The rollout will capture more evidence of illegal dumping, with the joint Unit for Waste Crime expanding from 13 to 20 specialists.
Read more: Mountain of dumped waste by Oxfordshire river 'visible from space' contains rubbish from councils
Figures obtained under the freedom of information act (FOI) found 517 waste tips were operating at the end of last year.
Those numbers include what's been described as 11 “super sites”, such as the 165 yard-long dump near the River Cherwell in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.
It comes after a criminal investigation continues into the “mountain of illegal waste”, after evidence emerged that rubbish from local councils was among the vast mound.
Two men have since been arrested over the dumping, with a 69-year-old man arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old man has been arrested in Slough in connection with the massive pile of rubbish.
It comes as the EA revealed it had shut down a record 751 illegal sites last year.
Environment Secretary, Emma Reynolds, said: “This Government is aggressively pursuing waste criminals and bringing offenders to justice.”
She added: “From advanced laser mapping to drone surveillance and new vehicle scanning tools, this technology is helping us track, expose and stop waste crime, ensuring those who blight our communities are held to account.”
Phil Davies, the head of the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, said: “Illegal waste dumping is appalling, and we are determined to turn the tide on this heinous crime.
“With organised criminals becoming ever more sophisticated, we are adopting new technologies to find and, importantly, stop them.
“With organised criminals becoming ever more sophisticated, we are adopting new technologies to find and, importantly, stop them.
“Through the greater use of drones, stronger partnerships and more officers on the ground, we will build on our action so far and send a clear message to those committing waste crimes – we will stop you.”