Two people were arrested following a raid on an illegal waste site the size of a football pitch in Lincolnshire.
Environment Agency officers and Lincolnshire Police also seized an excavator and a lorry which were actively depositing more waste at the site on Fen Lane, Long Bennington.
The arrest came after intelligence revealed that lorry-loads of waste, including plastics, commercial waste and household furniture, were being accepted onto the site and burned illegally. The smoke from the burning waste piles, some of which were the size of bungalows, were having a significant impact on local people and putting the environment at risk.
Despite strict lockdown conditions, environment officers observed this activity intensify in recent weeks, and took action to bring it to a halt. The site has been subject to ongoing investigations for illegal waste activity while businesses have taken over operations before becoming bankrupt.
Officers last visited the site at the end of January, arriving unannounced with police and planning enforcement officers from Lincolnshire County Council, to carry out a full regulatory inspection. But now legal notices have been issued, all entrances to the site have been blocked off, and activity on the site has been halted.
Norman Robinson, Area Director for the Environment Agency, said: "It's our job to protect people and nature even in these uncertain times, which is why our regulatory and enforcement work continues while we adhere to the Government's guidelines around coronavirus".
He commented that stockpiling and burning waste that should be safely disposed of is dangerous enough, but in the current circumstances where people and businesses are so restricted, shows a shocking disregard for communities, society and the environment.
"This should serve as a warning to those who would flout not just the law, but the lockdown – we and our partners are still fighting to put a stop to waste crime and we won't hesitate to take action".
Chief Inspector Phil Vickers, Local Policing at Lincolnshire Police, said: "Lincolnshire Police have supported this Environment Agency led operation on a site that was causing harm to the local community, to the environment and to legitimate businesses who operate responsibly and lawfully. We will work with partners and continue to enforce against offenders who operate illegally during the lockdown period and to protect our rural communities".
"Responsible waste management is everyone's responsibility – we work with the Environment Agency, County Council and all of the District Councils across Lincolnshire to protect our countryside and to keep rural communities safe, we are grateful for the support from Long Bennington residents in ensuring this large-scale site could be subject to enforcement today".
Joint investigations will continue and the Environment Agency will continue to monitor the impacts of the site and work with partners to ensure the waste is removed. If convicted as a result of legal action, those responsible could face extensive fines and even prison sentences.
