A major clean-up has begun after more than 200 tonnes of waste was illegally dumped at St Oswald's Retail Park in Gloucester. The rubbish, which includes household waste, white goods and asbestos, has been building up since February.
Impact on environment and residents
So much waste has been fly-tipped by multiple people that some is buried beneath the soil. The site has had a significant impact on nearby residents, wildlife and the surrounding environment.
Nick Green, from the Environment Agency, said: 'You've got waste here that's going to be degrading not just immediately but also over a long period of time, so we would see impacts from this waste as it decays. It is a flood plain – so water will be getting into it, flushing through. We can't allow that to happen.'
Clean-up and enforcement
The Environment Agency is working with Gloucester City Council and police to clean up the two-acre site after months of enforcement action. The council said the landowner was a victim of the fly-tipping.
A spokesperson said: 'Formal notices were served requiring waste to be removed, waste burning to cease and measures to be put in place to prevent further activity. Following the failure to comply within the required timescales, the council has exercised its legal powers to undertake works in default.'
Public urged to check waste contractors
Authorities are urging people to check that waste contractors are licensed before handing over rubbish. James Dykes, from Gloucester City Council, said: 'As you can see here – that is not what has been occurring. Residents have been employing companies that have been illegally depositing the waste at this site.'
Anyone found to be handing over rubbish to a contractor without a licence or permission could face prosecution and financial penalties.
Mr Green added: 'It's really important that we demonstrate that illegal waste sites such as this are shut down, stopped and prevent the impact they have on the local communities. We are seeing these sites grow all the way across the country and seeing this direct action in partnership with Gloucester City Council and the police means and shows that these sites cannot continue.'
