Farmer baulks at £40k cost to remove dumped waste

A farmer has spoken of his struggle to afford £40,000 to remove toxic waste from his land that has been dumped there by fly-tippers.

About 200 tonnes of rubbish was left on the Hertfordshire field last summer, but the person who did it has not been caught.

The farmer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he risked being prosecuted over the mess, which includes asbestos, household and medical waste.

The Environment Agency said it did everything possible to ensure that those who dumped waste paid for the cost of removing it, but it becomes the landowner's responsibility if that is not possible.

Although the government body is not legally responsible for clearing waste and is not funded to do so, it can act in exceptional circumstances such as when there is a risk of fire.

A neighbouring farmer said the clean-up should be covered by the taxpayer, as forcing the landowner to pay was "totally unjust".

He explained: "He quite clearly is a victim of crime, and then under the current law he becomes a criminal if he doesn't pay to put the crime right.

"It's just absolutely [an] aberration of justice."

The National Farmers' Union has called for a reform of the system so farmers are not punished.

Freya Samuel-Smith, from the union, said: "Fly-tipping is a very serious problem here in Hertfordshire.

"We're seeing industrial scale fly-tips happening on a regular basis, it shouldn't then be on the farmer to have to clear this waste up.

"It's costing the industry tens of millions of pounds every year to clear up when ultimately it's not their responsibility."

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