Category: Sources

Organised criminals are known to be targeting sites in the West Midlands where they are either requesting to store waste which has been baled or claiming they will use the site for other means like vehicle storage, and then filling the site with baled waste instead.

Landowners are being duped by these criminals with the promise of payment for storage, but even if an initial cash payment is made, the further promised monies don’t appear. Instead their land is filled up with the waste and they are left with clean-up costs that can run into the hundreds of thousands of pounds, or potentially a fine or custodial sentence leaving them with a criminal conviction on their record if the waste is not moved or disposed of in an appropriate manner.

The waste bales are being transported using curtain sided lorries and unloaded from the lorries using fork lift trucks. We would urge transport companies and plant hire companies to also be vigilant and not become part of this illegal activity.

Marc Lidderth, Environment Manager said:

A number of recent vehicle stops in the West Midlands found HGVs attempting to dispose of potentially illegal waste. These vehicles were stopped and the waste sent back to the original locations. The Environment Agency and police are investigating but we are unable to give any details at this time as it may damage any further investigations.

The storage of any baled or processed waste is not allowed without an environmental permit being in place. We are sending this warning to landowners, hauliers and plant hire companies to remain vigilant and to prevent them becoming a victim of this scam.

Waste companies, local authorities and businesses all have a responsibility to check what happens to their waste. We have specialist teams who work in partnership with the police and agencies like HMRC to tackle waste crime. This specialist crime unit uses intelligence to track and prosecute organised crime gangs involved in illegal waste activity.

If you or your company are approached or have any information about those involved in this scam please contact the Environment Agency via their incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously online via Crimestoppers or by calling 0800 555 111.

It will take place on Saturday 7 October 2017, from 9am to 3pm.

No-one ever knows where or when the next flood will occur, but with 1 in 6 properties at risk across the UK, the public are being urged to check if their property is one of them, and do everything they can to prepare if it is. This day aims to give the people of Kent the opportunity to find ways of reducing the impact of flooding both to their homes and their communities.

Local residents will be able to see a range of practical events. These will include demonstrations of the Environment Agency’s demountable defences and building sand bag walls. There will also be lively talks, workshops and an exhibition area where practitioners, including Kent Emergency Planners, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue and many more, will be on hand to give expert advice. The day will take place at:

Steve Scully, Senior Resilience Officer with the Kent Resilience Team, said:

This event brings together the network of support organisations that exist to warn and inform people but that also provide training and infrastructure to help build robust local community plans that we action if and when it floods.

Jenny Newham, Environment Agency Engagement Officer added:

This event has been designed around feedback from our volunteer community flood wardens across Kent and aims to inform and enthuse individuals and community groups about the local roles they can undertake to help be prepared.

For more information or to register for this event, please e-mail krf.events@kent.fire-uk.org or via jenny.newham@environment-agency.gov.uk.

For all media enquiries, please call 0800 141 2743.

A community drop-in is being held in Marston Moretaine for the public to find out about the Environment Agency’s role in the energy from waste (EfW) incinerator facility proposed at Rookery Pit, Stewartby.

The Environment Agency will be asking people for comments on the applications for an environmental permit it has received from Covanta Energy Limited.

The event is being held at Forest of Marston Vale Centre, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford, MK43 0PR on Wednesday 20 September, 1:00pm – 7:00pm.

The Environment Agency’s role is to make sure that energy from waste facilities are designed, built and run to meet legal environmental standards ( the Industrial Emissions Directive) and to meet the conditions of their environmental permit (the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016).

If a permit were to be issued the Agency would be the regulator for on-going compliance monitoring of the incinerator.

The Environment Agency will only issue a permit if it is satisfied that the plant will be designed, built, operated and maintained in such a way that the requirements of the relevant EU Directives are met and that human health and the environment are protected. This will be decided following consultation with the relevant Local Authorities and their Health Departments, the Food Standards Agency, Public Health England, the Health and Safety Executive and other identified statutory consultees.

The public consultation period will run from 11 September to 23 October 2017.

The start of the consultation period has also been advertised on the Environment Agency website on gov.uk.

On-line option

People unable to attend the drop-in or wanting to provide formal comments to be considered during the determination by the Environment Agency, should send them to psc@environment-agency.gov.uk or write to: Environment Agency, Permitting Support Centre, Land Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF. Please quote permit application number EPR/WP3234DY/A001.

To provide comments online and to view the documents that form part of this consultation, follow this link

Interested parties can also make an appointment to view a copy of the draft permit and draft decision document at the local Environment Agency office, located at: Bromholme Lane, Brampton, Huntingdon,
Cambridgeshire, PE28 4NE.

The Environment Agency (EA) has been on site near Peakshole Water in Castleton, Derbyshire, following a spill of cooking oil in a surface water drain. Approximately twenty-five litres of used cooking oil were accidentally spilled into the drain, which leads into Peakshole Water.

After a member of the public reported the pollution, Environment Agency officers worked with Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service to ensure a clean-up operation could get off the ground as soon as possible. Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service was able to reach the scene of the incident quickly, which meant that the oil was prevented from spreading further down the drain towards the watercourse.

The Environment Agency soon joined their Fire and Rescue colleagues in Castleton, using booms as well as absorbent pads to contain and absorb the oil.

Castleton is a popular tourist destination in the Peak District National Park. There have been no reports or sightings of affected wildlife and an investigation by the Environment Agency did not identify any environmental impacts.

Commenting on the joint clean-up operation, EA environment officer Paul Reeves said:

The response to the cooking oil spill incident in Derbyshire on Saturday is an excellent example of how strong partnership work can help us protect wildlife and the environment. We were able to respond quickly by combining resources with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, thereby keeping the impact to the environment in this beautiful area within the Peak District National Park to a minimum.

This incident was reported to us by a member of the public. These reports are very valuable in helping us in our efforts to protect the environment, and we’d like to encourage anyone who observes a suspected pollution to report this to our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.