Waste dumping now “the new county lines” crime says police commissioner
A special summit is being in Kent to try to tackle the issue
The growing problem of industrial scale fly-tipping has been called “the new county lines” crime by Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner (KPCC).
Official figures show the scourge of illegal dumping – much of it caused by organised gangs using tipper lorries and transits – has jumped year on year in the county.
Now Matthew Scott has called a summit of interested parties, including fellow commissioners from Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Thames Valley, for June 3.
The purpose is to share experiences and to discuss “how to better manage” the response to the activities of groups carrying out fly-tipping all over the south east.
Figures compiled by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) show that in Kent illegal dumping has risen 5% year on year, in 2023/24.
Some individual areas saw bigger increases – especially Maidstone (19%), Medway (14%), Tonbridge and Malling (13%) and Canterbury (13%), said the CLA.
Mr Scott said: “Waste crime is the new organised crime groups’ activity. It is the new county lines – that is how serious this is and how organised this is.
“What this summit is about is bringing together those who have the powers like the Environment Agency and local councils to see how we can work better to tackle this criminality because, tragically, the outcomes for fly-tipping and waste crime are very low.”
The commissioner likens waste crime to county lines drug dealing because of its scale and “does not respect” geographical boundaries.
The Hoads Wood site, near Ashford, Kent, where 30,000 tonnes of waste has been dumped on ancient woodland, is an example of where the criminals have “run rampant”, said Mr Scott.
That site could cost £10m to clear up, according to the CLA.
Mr Scott argues through data and intelligence sharing, technology, better reporting and even enhanced legislation, gangs’ activities can be disrupted.
The summit, to be held in Kent, will see councils, the Environment Agency and countryside bodies join the police commissioners on June 3.
The National Audit Office estimates waste crime costs £900m a year with more than 1.5m incidents, a 6% annual rise in 2023-24.
Mr Scott said the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) figures reveal there were 101,694 cases in the South East Region in 2023-24: nearly 49,000 on highways, 28,000 on public land and nearly 3,000 cases on private land.
The figures also show there were nearly 30,600 small van load incidents, nearly 12,450 transit van incidents and 2,200 tipper lorry cases.
The tipper lorry incidents cost nearly £719,000 to clear up while multiple load clean-ups cost the region nearly £422,600.
Mr Scott said the summit is not aimed to point fingers at any one individual body but finding ways to work more effectively together.
Local authorities are responsible for investigating, clearing and taking appropriate enforcement action in relation to small scale fly-tipping on public land.
The Environment Agency is responsible for dealing with larger-scale fly-tipping (more than a lorry load), hazardous waste and fly-tipping by organised gangs.
On private land, it is normally the responsibility of the landowner to remove the waste.
The CLA, which will attend the summit,said there were not custodial sentences in 2023-24
The influential body shared the findings of a survey of farmers recently to coincide with the new stats coming out from Defra.
Among the results were that were that 90% of respondents had been victims of fly-tipping in the last 12 months; almost 40% had experienced at least six separate incidents in the past year; more than 75% said fly-tipping has a significant financial impact on their business and more than nine in 10 believe local authorities need increased resourcing to help fight the war on waste.
CLA South East Regional Director Tim Bamford said: “Rural communities have had enough of fly-tipping and waste crime, and the government must act.
“Farmers and the countryside are increasingly being targeted by organised crime gangs – often violent – who know that rural areas are under-policed and so they target them. The long-promised rural crime strategy needs to be published as soon as possible.
“It’s not just litter blotting the landscape, but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous – even including asbestos and chemicals – endangering farmers, wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment.
“As Labour itself has pointed out, the crime rate in rural areas has surged by 32 per cent since 2011, faster than in urban areas. People, communities and businesses deserve to feel safe and protected, and the first place to start must surely be ending the chronic under-funding of rural police forces.”
The CLA is calling for all forces to have adequate equipment packs; improved rural training for all 999/101 call handlers; and guidance for local authorities to ringfence fines from fly-tipping to fund enforcement and clean-up activities.