Cracking Down On Waste Crime showed that 16 people were sent to
prison last year for major waste crimes including running large-scale
illegal waste sites and industrial-scale dumping. Six offenders
were jailed in 2009, with the number falling to five in 2010. In total,
335 individuals and companies were successfully prosecuted last year for
serious waste crimes, the Agency said.
Courts issued £1.7 million
in fines for serious waste offences, nearly £800,000 more than the
previous year. The highest fine issued in 2011 was £170,000 - more than
treble the highest fine served in 2010 (£50,000). In addition, the
courts ordered the confiscation of £2.2 million-worth of assets from
criminals who made money through illegal waste activity. That included
one Berkshire businessman who was ordered to pay back over £800,000, the
Agency said. More than 750 illegal waste sites were shut down in
the last year and the Agency is currently conducting 132 waste-related
financial investigations.
The Agency said it is detecting more and more sites thanks to a £5 million dedicated waste crime taskforce. Environment
Secretary Caroline Spelman said: "Illegal waste sites are a blight on
our communities which I am determined to root out. The new Illegal Waste
Site Taskforce funded by Defra means these criminals have nowhere to
hide and we will be relentless in tracking them down. These criminals
should know we are coming for them and they will feel the full force of
the law."
The head of the Agency's environmental crime team Andrew
Higham said: "Waste crime can cause pollution, pose risks to people's
health and undercut legitimate businesses. We've stepped up the fight
and we are increasingly seeing waste offenders being made to pay for
their crimes. "But we are not complacent and there is more to do
particularly around cracking down on illegal waste sites. Our new
Taskforce will help us break this cycle. However, we can't do it on our
own. We need everyone to play their part in helping to tackle waste
crime."
Source: The Press Association
