The action forms part of the Agencys crackdown on suspected waste criminals, codenamed Operation Ammolite, which launched on March 21. The operation is being carried out in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, local authorities, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and HMRC.
Inspections
Inspections have also been carried out on 53 waste sites across the capital, 14 of which were found to be operating illegally. Two of the sites were involved in the illegal export of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and two others were found to be mishandling hazardous waste. The Agency will now work with the operators of each of the sites to bring them into compliance, or the operators could face enforcement action, which could include prosecution.
Owen Bolton, senior environmental crime officer at the environmental crime officer at the Environment Agency, said: Illegal waste activity is a huge problem in this area, harming the environment and taking work away from legitimate businesses. Waste crime is a serious offence and we use all legitimate means at our disposal to bring criminals to justice, including taking them to court where they face a criminal record, a fine and imprisonment in more serious cases.
Paul Rickett, borough commander of Tower Hamlets Police, said: Operation Ammolite is a great initiative to have running in Tower Hamlets. The success of the operation ensures that our waste sites are being run legally.
Operations
The Agency is planning further operations across the UK to uncover sites acting illegally, and to ensure that waste is treated properly. It has identified 650 active illegal waste sites in England and Wales – and predicts that more than 300 of these sites are within 50 metres of schools, homes or sensitive environmental areas.
Operation Ammolite comes after the Agency announced in December that it would be investing 5 million in a taskforce to clamp down on waste crime at sites across the country (see letsrecycle.com story).
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