An investigation has been launched after tonnes of household waste were dumped across an area the size of a football pitch near a small Leicestershire village. The public has been urged to stay away from Cave’s Inn Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest, near the village of Shawell in Leicestershire, while the ‘significant’ amount of waste is investigated, the Environment Agency said.
Discovery and Immediate Response
The area where the shredded household waste has been dumped is ‘well-concealed’, the agency said, and was only found after members of the public reported a bad smell. When Environment Agency and Natural England officers visited the site, they found layers of waste with soil used to cover it. Alongside a criminal investigation, the Environment Agency said it is assessing local air and water quality to prevent any further environmental impact.
Official Statements
Ian Jones, area director for the West Midlands at the Environment Agency, said anyone with information about the illegal dumping should call their hotline. He said: ‘This is a sickening case of large-scale illegal waste dumping, and we share the public’s disgust. We have launched an investigation with Natural England to find the criminals and ensure they pay the price for their despicable actions. We ask the public to stay away from the area, which is on private land, while we investigate.’
Phil Hukin, manager for Leicestershire and Rutland at Natural England, said the dumping was ‘heartbreaking’. He said: ‘This site contained some of the best remaining areas of neutral marsh in Leicestershire. It is heartbreaking to see one of England’s precious Sites of Special Scientific Interest damaged like this. Our officers are working closely with Environment Agency colleagues to investigate this appalling crime.’
Recent Similar Incidents
Just last week, vacant sites across London were turned into oceans of plastic, plywood and black bin liners by a gang of illegal waste dumpers. Patrick Doherty, Martin Ward, Michael Ward and Simon O’Donnell would unlawfully occupy different spaces before directing convoys of tipper trucks to fill them with rubbish. At one site in Colliers Wood, south-west London, they ordered a site worker to pay them £5,000, or they would ‘fill this unit to the brim’. When the money was not forthcoming, they left a pile of waste five feet deep, which cost £15,000 to clear.
On another site in Croydon, the landowner was left with a £300,000 bill after security cameras were smashed and a company representative was threatened to prevent them from entering. The four men were sentenced today after they were found guilty of conspiracy to illegally dump controlled waste at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court. Doherty was given 28 months in prison, while Ward received 18 months. Ward and O’Donnell both received 14 months’ suspension for two years.
