Government response to waste crime 'not sufficient'

The chair of a House of Lords committee has said the government's efforts to fight waste crime are "not sufficient to deal with the problem".

Baroness Shas Sheehan wrote to environment secretary Emma Reynolds after fly-tippers dumped a "mountain of waste" in a field in Oxfordshire.

She said the Environment and Climate Change Committee was "troubled by the evident shortcomings in the current approach to tackling waste crime".

The government has been asked to comment. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously described the rubbish heap as "appalling" and said "all available powers" would be used to make those responsible pay for the clean-up.

The pile of waste in Oxfordshire is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high and appeared on a site between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington.

After visiting the site, Baroness Sheehan told BBC South: "I was shocked at the scale of the rubbish dumped there.

"It is a real mountain and I share local residents' concerns about the damage that is being done to the River Cherwell."

She said she was told the clean up in Kidlington would begin "imminently", but after her visit it was clear "there was no sign of the clean up having been started".

"We were deeply disappointed with the government's response, whatever they are doing just patently isn't working," she said.

She said the Environment Agency knew about the dump in Kidlington when they gave evidence to their inquiry.

"I don't know why they didn't think it was worth mentioning," she said.

"I would have felt more comfortable had the Environment Agency (EA) felt able to disclose the full knowledge of the waste sites around the country at the time of our inquiry."

She added: "I have invited the secretary of state to give evidence to the inquiry, in person to say what the government's plans are to reduce the scourge of waste crime."

The EA has described the claims as "inaccurate".

"We have engaged with Baroness Sheehan's inquiry in good faith and have responded comprehensively to the questions posed to us. We will continue to work closely with the Committee on their further questions," an EA spokesperson said.

The agency said its evidence to the committee directly answered a request to identify illegal dumps comparable in size to one in Hoads Wood in Kent.

It told the committee it was aware of six other illegal waste sites estimated to be as large as or larger than the Hoads Wood dump.

It said additional sites reported in the media did not meet that definition.

The EA has said it was making preparations to clear the site near Kidlington after "an exceptional decision" was made following advice from the fire and rescue services.

It added the scale of that risk "sets this case apart from other illegal waste dumps in England and presents an overriding public imperative".

"While the organisation continues to support the principle that the criminals responsible should cover the costs of clearance, it retains the power to take action in wholly exceptional circumstances," it added.

Chief executive Philip Duffy said they were working with local partners through "the most effective way to manage this work".

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