The Environment Agency is urging the public to come forward with information related to a series of incidents involving the illegal dumping of trailers loaded with shredded or baled waste. These incidents, which have occurred over the last few weeks, have primarily taken place in the Derby and Nottingham areas. The trailers, each capable of holding up to 24 tonnes of waste, have been abandoned in laybys along busy dual carriageways, posing significant environmental and community concerns.
Several of these incidents have been reported on the A50, including four near HMP Foston and one between Sudbury and Doveridge, just south-west of Derby. Additionally, two separate incidents took place on opposite carriageways of the A38, north of Burton-upon-Trent, with another on the southbound carriageway at Stretton, Burton-upon-Trent. The northbound A453 near Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, south of Nottingham, has also been the site of two dumped trailers.
These trailers, some containing loose shredded waste and others filled with baled waste, vary in design, including old refrigerated units and rigid ambient units. In certain cases, trailer tops have been cut off to facilitate easier filling. Each trailer can hold approximately 100 cubic metres, or up to 24 tonnes of waste.
Incidents potentially linked to the Derby-Nottingham cases have also occurred further afield. In early October, a trailer filled with baled waste was found in a layby on the westbound A6 at Chapel-en-le-Frith. Around the end of October, another refrigerated trailer packed with waste was dumped in a layby on the southbound A38 London Road at Weeford, Lichfield in Staffordshire.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency described the incidents as a “blight on our communities and environment,” adding that such waste crime is costly to taxpayers, who ultimately bear the expense of disposing of the abandoned trailers and their contents. The agency is currently working to trace the origin of the waste and identify those responsible, suggesting that the incidents could be connected and possibly orchestrated by an organized crime group.
Anyone with relevant information is strongly encouraged to contact the Environment Agency’s 24/7 hotline at 0800 80 70 60, or reach out to CrimeStoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111 or through www.crimestoppers-uk.org. If you witness waste trailers being dumped, it is advised to report the incident immediately to the police by dialing 999.
The Environment Agency is the regulatory body overseeing the waste industry in England and is committed to tackling large-scale waste crime, such as illegal dumping and waste exports, through stringent enforcement measures and legal action. Whistleblowers, including employees, former employees, or contractors with knowledge of wrongdoing, are protected by law when reporting these crimes.
