06Jun

Tipper lorry crushed following illegal waste activities

Posted on 6th June, 2018

A 20-tonne tipper lorry connected to illegal waste activity across the West Midlands, has been crushed after it was seized by the Environment Agency.

Following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering, the vehicle was detained in May 2018 by officers as part of a joint operation and partnership between the Environment Agency and local police.

The investigation titled, ‘Operation Poppy’, looked into 28 reported incidents of “large scale illegal dumping” of commercial waste in Shropshire, North Staffordshire, South Staffordshire and North Worcestershire. The DVLA said the vehicle had been using illegal number plates and was deemed “unsafe to drive”, resulting in a prohibition notice being issued to remove it from the road. The Environment Agency explained that the lorry was used to transport and dump large quantities of shredded household commercial waste, varying between 30 and 500 tonnes, on farmland, private wooded estates, secluded public footpath areas and business compounds.

Speaking about the outcome, Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said: “We are determined to make life hard for waste criminals by preventing and disrupting illegal activity. Thanks to the recent £30 million funding from the government and new powers to tackle problematic sites including authority to lock up sites and force rogue operators out of business, we are in a better position to safeguard the environment, local communities and the economy from the effects of waste crime.”