A stunning nature reserve has been turned into one of Britain's largest 'waste crime dumps' by grimy fly-tippers. The area of Trevoole Moor used to attract tourists for its beautiful surroundings, including a picturesque lake, nesting birds and beehives - but recently this has all changed and it has become a huge eyesore and a dumping ground for industrial waste.
Neighbours have described its transformation as a 'catastrophe' and the Environment Agency has pledged to take strong action. The site, near Camborne, is being investigated as one of Britain's worst 'waste crime sites', according to reports.
A House of Lords committee first revealed a large-scale 'waste crime site' was being investigated in Cornwall last October. But locals have now identified it as a site in Trevoole, a hamlet between Praze-an-Beeble and Camborne.
Pictures taken this week show the huge scale of the dumping ground that has piles of building waste including toilets, pipes, concrete and tyres. One local said: 'It used to be such a beautiful place to visit and walk. Now you just wouldn't go there at all. It is awful how they've destroyed the place beyond all recognition. Any investigation they do now is too little too late. The damage has been done.'
The site borders a public footpath and Duchy of Cornwall-owned Pendarves Woods and neighbours described the wetland as a former 'wildlife haven.' One local said: 'It's an absolute catastrophe. I remember when you first visited the site and there were beehives. Now you go there and there are burnt out sofas. It's unbelievably appalling.'
Another neighbour added: 'It was beautiful down there, but not now - we've even seen a sofa on fire down there.' Locals say they believe around 15 acres of the 25-acre site have been dumped on, flattened, then dumped on again over the past 20 years.
The Environment Agency said: 'We have taken action to stop large scale deposits of waste at the site, including issuing Illegal Waste Stop Letters to the landowner, hauliers and operator. Our investigation is nearing completion and we will take strong action against perpetrators of waste crime.'
Local Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George said: 'I'll be raising this not only with the EA but also with ministers. As you'll be aware, there have been a large number of scandalous cases around the country where this has occurred and it is absolutely shocking that cowboys like these believe they can get away with it. It is vital that an example is made of people who flagrantly abuse the rest of society by polluting the countryside in this way.'
He said much stronger action and powerful enforcement was needed. Cornwall Council said it was not involved in the investigation.
