Burnham orders crackdown on illegal waste gangs as fines set to rise to £5,000
Fines for rogue operators who dump waste illegally or fail to treat it properly are set to increase from £300 to £5,000.
Criminal gangs behind illegal waste sites will face tougher fines, more police action and the seizure of cash, cars and homes under a new government crackdown.
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The Prime Minister said the measures would target the organised groups profiting from illegal dumping while communities are left living beside “mountains of rubbish”.
Fines for rogue operators who dump waste illegally or fail to treat it properly are set to increase from £300 to £5,000.
The Environment Agency will also receive more frontline officers and greater powers to pursue assets bought using the proceeds of waste crime.
Three major illegal dumps, containing an estimated 22,000 tonnes of waste and affecting around 2,900 families, have been identified for clean-up.
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.
The Prime Minister said: “These toxic dumps have blighted communities for too long.
“The days of making easy money out of waste are over. We’re giving authorities the powers to hunt down the people responsible.”
West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester will be the first regions to trial a mayor-led approach, bringing councils, police, regulators and enforcement agencies together.
Environment Agency Chief Executive Philip Duffy said: "We know how much damage illegal waste sites do to the communities that live near them.
“By strengthening our intelligence and analysis capability, and working more closely with regional partners, Environment Agency teams across the country will be better placed to stay well ahead of the criminals behind this activity and support the recovery of the places we call home.”