Three men convicted for ‘industrial scale’ waste crimes
Baled waste dumped at a farm in Staffordshire © Environment Agency Three men have been convicted for their involvement in industrial-scale illegal waste disposal across the north of England and the West Midlands, including on farmland, following a major investigation by the Environment Agency.
The investigation, Operation Cesium, discovered how criminal gang members would approach waste facilities and offer to dispose of baled waste at reduced costs.
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The criminals would then enter into rental or lease agreements with owners of land, farms and industrial units, under the false pretence of storing the waste temporarily for later export to incinerators abroad.
The bales, normally made up of household or business waste, were then abandoned at the sites.
The Environment Agency estimates that more than 26,000t of waste – equivalent to more than 2,000 double-decker buses – was deposited illegally across the 17 sites investigated.
This would have avoided landfill tax costs in excess of £2.7m, while the cost to landowners of clearing the waste is estimated at more than £3.2m.
Other impacts included fly and rat infestations, which in some cases forced nearby businesses to close.
Waste dumped at a site in Staffordshire © Environment Agency
Guilty pleas
On 18 July, Marcus Hughes, 53, and Richard Hopkinson, 52, attended Birmingham Crown Court where they pleaded guilty to various environmental, company and fraud offences.
Hughes had primarily provided transport and drivers from his haulage company, while Hopkinson co-ordinated the collection and disposal of the waste.
On 26 July, Robert McDonagh, 51, pleaded guilty at the same court to environmental, company and fraud offences.
His involvement was primarily to fraudulently hire trailers and machinery used for transporting and depositing the waste on site.
Environment Agency enforcement manager Emma Viner said: “Operation Cesium was a complex investigation into large-scale waste dumps across the country by a gang who spared little thought for their victims and the environmental, financial and health impacts they caused.
“We take our responsibility to protect people and the environment seriously.”
Sentencing is set for 17 and 18 December 2024 at Birmingham Crown Court.