Hertfordshire farmer receives £50,000 fundraiser to help clear huge fly-tipping
A crowdfunding campaign was launched by a stranger and hit its target within three days
An elderly farmer in Hertfordshire has been given £50,000 to help clear around 200-tonnes of waste which was fly-tipped on his land.
Some of the rubbish includes building materials, household items, medical waste, and more – which is rotting into the ground.
The farmer, who wishes to remain anonymous, was facing potential prosecution over failing to clear the rubbish as it is his responsibility under law.
Archie Ford from near Salisbury, Wiltshire, heard about the issue in the news and decided to set up a crowdfunding page to help the farmer.
Just three days after the campaign was launched, the total amount had been raised through more than 1,600 individual donations.
Mr Ford explained that he didn’t know the landowner but just wanted to help: “Meeting him the farmer today has been excellent. He's staggered by people's generosity, as am I.
“This has been a really educational thing for me as well, as I think the instances of this happening is up almost 10% on last year. So, something needs to change. But this particular situation, it's been really humbling with people's generosity.
“It's been wonderful to come here today to finalise the handover of that money and get this solved.”
Will Dickinson, neighbour and friend of the farmer who was fly tipped, said: “It's transformative. He was really quite distressed, and he’s just been through a very difficult time over the last year.
“All of a sudden, that's all lifted and all gone. It was magical for me to see as his friend and neighbour.
“But the injustice of the whole thing is what grates.
“I think that's where people have been so good and so kind to give us the money because they feel that the way the law is written is wrong and that as a victim of crime, you are created the criminal.”
Mr Dickinson also says there’s fears of a long-term impact to the ground: “We are worried that it will have contaminated the ground.
“We're hoping that the majority of this waste can be separated from the soil.”
Calls for law change
Under UK law, farmers and other private landowners are usually responsible for clearing fly-tipped waste from their land.
The duty arises under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure waste on their property is removed and disposed of legally using licensed carriers.
Freya Samuels-Smith, NFU County advisor for Hertfordshire, said: “Farmers already have a lot of other pressures that they're facing, and this is just another one on top of the pile.
“It would be really good to see a change in the law so that they're not responsible for clearing up this fly tip when it's something that they can't expect or prevent a lot of the time.”
Adding: “We also need to see more arrests and convictions to actually deter criminals from fly tipping.”
Victoria Collins, MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted is calling for a change in the law.
The Liberal Democrat said: “There should be a Government body who is responsible for holding the criminals to account, making sure that there are real consequences to this activity.”
“There is absolutely no question that the farmer should not be responsible for either clearing it up or the cost. It really should be down to the criminals and more has to be done, the government has to act now.”
A Defra spokesperson said: "Waste criminals and fly-tippers who blight our villages and undermine our hard-working farmers have gone unpunished for too long.
“This Government has launched a crackdown on cowboy waste operators, including crushing fly-tipper’s vans, to tackle soaring fly-tipping and clean up Britain’s rural areas and support our crucial farming sector.
“Alongside this, we continue to work closely with stakeholders including the National Farmers Union to promote good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land.”