Government support to tackle waste related crime

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the budget this week that the Government will make up to £10million available to the Environment Agency (the regulatory agency in England for waste offences) to help fund the clearance of abandoned waste sites. This will be a pilot scheme to tackle the worst abandoned waste sites that blight communities.

This initiative follows on from new powers granted to the Environment Agency in March this year to enable its officers to tackle the problem of illegal waste sites. These powers include requiring the operators of illegal waste sites to clean up and remove the waste.

Waste related crime, including fly tipping (the illegal dumping of waste), has recently been the subject of a Government review of the types of crime being committed and the associated environmental, economic and community impacts. The outcome of this review is expected to be published before the end of the year, at which point we will update you with details of any further Government initiatives for tackling waste related crime.

Jane Haviland is a solicitor specialising in environmental law, within the litigation and dispute resolution department at Barker Gotelee Suffolk solicitors.

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