Drones to gather evidence at illegal waste dumps

A "drones squad" will be used in the battle against large-scale illegal waste dumps, the government has said.

The Environment Agency plans to equip some of its drones with laser technology to map waste sites and gather evidence.

It said it was also deploying new software to detect potential criminal activity by cross-checking lorry and waste licences.

In January, a BBC investigation revealed there were more than 500 illegal tips across England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

In recent months, large-scale illegal tips have been publicly identified in Cheshire, Cornwall, Kent and Lancashire.

In November, a newly-emerged 150m-long waste mound near Kidlington, Oxfordshire, was described by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as "utterly appalling".

The Environment Agency said it would employ a "drones squad" of 33 trained pilots and increase the Joint Unit for Waste Crime from 13 to 20 specialists.

The unit's head, Phil Davies, said: "With organised criminals becoming ever more sophisticated, we are adopting new technologies to find and, importantly, stop them.

"Through the greater use of drones, stronger partnerships and more officers on the ground, we will build on our action so far."

The new measures come after the government increased the Environment Agency's budget for waste crime enforcement by more than 50% this year to £15.6m.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: "This government is aggressively pursuing waste criminals and bringing offenders to justice.

"From advanced laser mapping to drone surveillance and new vehicle scanning tools, this technology is helping us track, expose and stop waste crime, ensuring those who blight our communities are held to account."

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