Further arrest connected with North East illegal waste dumping

The 29-year-old man was arrested at an address near Preston, Lancashire yesterday morning (12 October) in a joint operation involving Lancashire Police and the Environment Agency.

He was questioned in connection with the illegal dumping of waste near Newcastle Airport at Callerton, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.

It follows an arrest made in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, last week in connection with illegal waste dumping at the former Dewhirst site, Thorpe Road, Peterlee, and at Hart Quarry in Hartlepool. The 32-year-old man was bailed pending further enquiries.

Together the three dumps amount to thousands of tonnes of waste. The Callerton site has since been cleared by the landowner.

Environment Agency’s action on waste crime

As part of the government’s commitment to acting early to address illegal activity before it becomes established, the Environment Agency is stepping up its action on waste crime in its 10 point plan.

It sets out a focused, sustained programme of action to strengthen prevention, improve detection and deliver more consistent enforcement.

In August, the government set out plans to shut down those behind waste crime, building on its Waste Crime Action Plan, including more Environment Agency officers on the front line, a steep increase in fines and tougher sanctions for the most serious offences. 

The illegal waste site at Peterlee. Copyright: Environment Agency

Gary Wallace, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

We’ve been relentless in our investigation into these sites and two men have now been arrested.