Burnham announces plans to clean up worst three illegal waste dumps
The UK government has announced plans to clean up three major illegal waste dumps and increase fines for fly-tipping to £5,000. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is also empowering local authorities to seize assets from those involved in waste crime.
Why it matters
The initiative addresses long-standing environmental and community health concerns while attempting to deter organized waste crime through stricter enforcement.
Image source, Reuters By Jennifer McKiernan , Political reporter and Jenny Kumar , Rural Affairs Correspondent Published 7 minutes ago Three of the country's worst illegal dumps are due to be cleaned up using taxpayers' money, the government has announced.
Sites in Kent, Surrey and West Yorkshire will be assessed for clearance, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham saying the "toxic dumps have blighted communities for too long".
Fines for waste offences will also rise from £300 to £5,000 to deter, catch, and punish those who dump illegally, and the Environment Agency will have more powers to seize assets bought with the proceeds of crime by those involved.
But opposition parties said illegal dumps were a small part of a much bigger issue with smaller scale fly-tipping and landfill all posing big problems for communities.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in