Fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping by criminal gangs

Motion Text

That this House expresses deep concern at the growing scale of industrial fly-tipping by criminal gangs; regrets that the Environment Agency is not equipped to deal with illegal dump sites or tackle the work and impact of organised criminal gangs illegally dumping huge quantities of waste; is deeply concerned that the Environment Agency has reported seven illegal dump sites but other illegal sites exist including near the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire; recognises the growing risk of toxic run-off from illegal waste sites which poses a significant threat to the health of people and wildlife whilst further degrading water and air quality; calls on the Government to act immediately by giving resources to the Environment Agency to clean up the largest illegal dump sites; urges the Government to ensure the Environment Agency, National Environment Crime Unit and Joint Unit for Waste Crime are properly resourced to tackle criminal waste dumping; further calls for the National Crime Agency to take over the investigation into illegal dumps in the most serious cases; and finally calls for a root and branch review of the entire waste crime system and the Government's response.