Noxious waste fires near village need to stop - MP

An MP has called on the Environment Agency to stop the "havoc" of noxious fires from unauthorised waste burning near a Surrey village.

Claire Coutinho says she wants the government organisation to take firmer legal action to combat waste fires in Smallfield.

The East Surrey MP says she first wrote to the Environment Agency on the matter in December 2025, but in her most recent letter to its area director in August she accused the agency of being "unable or unwilling" to end the problem.

However, an Environment Agency spokesperson insists legal action will be taken if the fires do not stop.

They say more drones are being used to monitor any activity from above, and that specialist officers are working to protect at-risk communities.

"Noxious fires have caused havoc for the people of Smallfield for too long," Coutinho told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

"Laws are in place to protect the public from harm. Burning waste without a licence is a criminal offence.

"The Environment Agency should enforce the law and protect the public from this persistent nuisance."

Coutinho has also asked the agency what progress has been made in attending earmarked sites to determine if they need further investigation.

Residents have presented "reams of evidence" to the Environment Agency, but claimed the body's response to this has "not been good enough", she added.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said the agency had instructed the landowners to stop burning waste.

They added it was "keeping up the pressure for measures to be taken to avoid further disruption to local people and harm to the environment".

"Enforcement action is never off the table," they said.

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