Multi-agency crackdown on illegal waste hotspot

The raid, which was carried out earlier this month (June 8), targeted Baldwin's Farm at Upminster in Essex, which was found to include a number of shipping containers but no relevant environmental permits.

The Environment Agency officers were working with both Essex and Metropolitan Police as well as the London borough of Havering and Thurrock council. Further raids are expected to be carried out at similar sites in the region over the coming months.

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency told letsrecycle.com that it was “currently unclear” where the waste at Baldwin's Farm had been sourced from and that they were unable to name the individuals involved in activity at the container yard in case it prejudiced future legal proceedings.

It was the second time that the EA had raided the site, and information shared between the agencies had found that the site owners had attempted to send waste abroad in the past when shipping containers were traced back to the site.

Findings

Officers taking part in the raid found containers packed with waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) items – some without plugs and refrigerators without compressors pumps, gas cylinders, waste mattresses and tyres. A total of 16 containers were issued with ‘stop notices', preventing them from being potentially exported abroad illegally.

And, the officers found evidence of waste being shipped to African countries, including Ghana, while police officers also found four stolen vehicles on the site.

Carolyn Barnes, who led the operation for the Environment Agency, said: “This is the second time we have targeted Baldwin's Farm in a multi agency operation since last year. It was first raided in 2009, when Environment Agency officers found evidence of illegal exports.”

Ms Barnes said that the raid earlier this month was carried out to check whether the site had become compliant and she said improvements had been made “but it is still not fully compliant”.

She added: “Shipping waste out of the country is a serious criminal offence which can result in harm to the environment and people in its destination country. Illegal waste operations in the UK affect the quality of people's lives and undermine legitimate businesses all over the world and we are determined to stamp them out.”

In addition, Ms Barnes pointed to the fact that Baldwin's Farm was one of “several hotspots of suspected illegal waste activity in the region which we plan to tackle over the coming months”.

Anyone with information on activities that pose a threat to the environment were asked to call the Environment Agency's incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 to report.