A NEW aerial photo shows ‘appalling’ new dumping at a county site at the centre of an illegal waste probe, says a fed-up resident.
The drone photo shows the bund at Mill Lane near Wadborough is growing despite a stop notice issued by Wychavon District Council, issued last December.
The site at Mill Lane has already been identified as a suspected illegal waste dumping site and is at the centre of an investigation by the Environment Agency and West Mercia Police into ‘illegal waste activity’ in Worcestershire. The stop notice took effect on December 30 last year.
One resident, who declined to be named, said: “The bund has increased in size significantly having been flattened and added to with fresh dumping. The bund to the right of the barn has not been flattened and has grassed over. The whole situation is utterly appalling. The stop notice is being flagrantly disobeyed.”
The Environment Agency said Wychavon District Council issued the stop notice, and it would be for the council to comment.
However, the council was unavailable for comment.
The site is subject to an enforcement notice and stop notice. Some of the enforcement notice breaches previously identified include change of use from agricultural to mixed use ‘for the depositing of waste, and storage of waste, plant, machinery, containers, building materials, and a caravan’.
The requirements of the enforcement notice include to: permanently cease the importation of waste; permanently cease the use of the land for the depositing, sorting, storage or spreading of waste; permanently cease the use of any plant, machinery, or vehicles in connection with the importation, depositing, sorting, storage or spreading of waste.
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The notice also stipulates that the land must stop being used for the storage of any plant, machinery, containers, building materials, and a caravan (other than those reasonably required for the lawful agricultural use of the land).
Waste material of any description must not be brought onto the site.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We are investigating reports of waste being deposited at this site. Where breaches are found, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action.
“We have already taken action at this site and will continue to work with the local council and the police force in Worcestershire to stop waste criminals.
“We encourage members of the public to report any incidents of pollution to the incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”
In 2024/5, across the country, the Environment Agency successfully stopped activity at 743 illegal waste sites, of which 84 were in the West Midlands Area.