Police catch two men emptying lorry full of rubbish onto a field

Two men have been arrested after they were ‘caught red-handed’ dumping waste in a field.

Thousands of tonnes of shredded rubbish and plastic have been fly-tipped over the past year at Birch Field, a Traveller-owned site in Stapleford Tawney, Essex.

Photos of the site show deep piles of waste spread across the green belt land, which is just off the M25 motorway and surrounded by trees.

While the Environment Agency (EA) has been investigating the site since last February, the arrests only took place after a member of the public saw an articulated lorry dumping a load on Friday and called 999. 

Police seized the lorry, which was full of construction and demolition waste and had become stuck in thick mud. 

Officers arrested two men – a 25-year-old from County Down in Northern Ireland and a 55-year-old from Surrey – for depositing waste without a permit. They were bailed until February 26 under strict conditions, including a ban on any waste-related activities.

An Essex Police spokesman said: ‘At around 3.30pm on Friday, February 6, we responded to a call from a concerned member of the public who reported a large quantity of waste being dumped from the rear of an articulated lorry on land off Epping Lane at Stapleford Tawney.

‘An excavator and bulldozer were also seen moving waste on the site. Upon arrival, officers observed two men attempting to make off. Both were swiftly detained and identified as the driver of the HGV and the operator of the excavator. They were arrested at the scene and taken to custody.’

The force said it had since been working closely with the EA, which has taken primacy for the investigation.

In a video shared on WhatsApp, the Irish-registered lorry was seen being towed on the A13 in Essex on Monday after being seized by police.

The police spokesman added: ‘Despite one of the suspects due to leave the country on Monday, officers acted swiftly and decisively to safeguard the site, secure evidence, and ensure the correct agency is leading the investigation.

‘We thank the member of the public who reported this.’

The force is appealing to anyone with any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to the incident to come forward.

Birch Field is one of a growing list of illegal dumps that have sprung up on agricultural or green belt land in recent years.  

Organised criminals identify land where they allow the dumping of thousands of tonnes of waste in return for cash payments which are much less than the combined official disposal costs and landfill charges at just over £126 per tonne.

The waste is usually shredded by commercial machinery so it is easier to bury.

Organised waste criminals are making so much money that waste crime has been dubbed ‘the new narcotics’.

Among the sites are the notorious 21,000-tonne, 500ft-long fly tip that appeared in a field near Kidlington in Oxfordshire, which sparked national outrage with an expected £10million clean-up bill.

Other ‘super sites’ yet to be cleared up are a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

There have been repeated claims of inaction by the EA in connection with a number of the sites as the under-resourced agency seeks to tackle hundreds of waste site investigations across the country.

Although police acted swiftly on Friday in Essex, residents and local parish councillors have been complaining about the illegal tip for around a year with limited action from the EA, according to posts on Facebook.

A waste industry insider said the lorry seized by Essex Police should carry about 24 tonnes, which would cost around £4,500 to dispose of properly, but could take up to 60 tonnes if it was overloaded.

When the Daily Mail visited Birch Field, the fresh load of waste was visible near its entrance. A large hole had been dug nearby close to a bulldozer. 

The site has a chequered history. In 2003, Irish traveller Patrick Culligan paid £77,000 to buy the land off a farmer before a 16-pitch caravan site sprung up without planning permission. 

After a failed planning appeal in 2006 and an injunction secured by the council preventing further occupation, it was abandoned. 

The site remained a waste ground before it was reoccupied by 73 travellers in 2013. But they left after being threatened with jail for being in breach of the injunction.

It has stayed empty since but remains registered to Mr Culligan, according to Land Registry records.

As Mr Culligan gave his address as Birch Field, there was no way of contacting him.

An EA spokesman said the arrests were part of a major investigation called Operation Dingo.

He said: ‘Police were greeted by a lorry full of construction and demolition waste and more rubbish spread over a wide area.

‘The lorry, which had sunk into thick mud, was seized. Two mobile phones and a laptop were also recovered as evidence.’

Barry Russell, environment manager for the Environment Agency in the northern home counties, said: ‘I share the public’s anger at waste crime, where those responsible have no care for the environment.

‘Thanks to the person who rang 999, and the quick work of Essex Police, my environmental crime team are using the arrests and seizures to continue investigating this suspected illegal waste dump.

‘Anyone with information that could bring the offenders to justice, or about suspected waste crime anywhere, is asked to contact the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 807060, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. All calls will be treated in confidence.’

The EA spokesman added: ‘The Environment Agency began investigating operations on the site last February after receiving information about it.

‘The arrests are the latest in a series of raids on addresses across England by the Environment Agency and police looking into large-scale waste crime, as well as fraud and money laundering.

‘The Environment Agency is determined the multiple arrests in recent months send out a strong message that waste crime is unacceptable, and those responsible will be pursued through the courts. 

‘The men held in Essex were released on condition they have no contact with each other, do not transport waste or be in a vehicle involved in waste management. They were bailed to return to Harlow police station on 26 February.’