Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what action is being taken to address ongoing illegal tipping a) across the country, and b) in the Forest of Dean constituency.

This Government is committed to tackling waste crime from the fly-tippers who blight our towns and villages to the serious and organised crime groups who are exploiting the waste sector. Defra is making policy and regulatory reforms to close loopholes exploited by criminals and have increased the Environment Agency’s (EA’s) budget for waste crime enforcement by over 50% this year to £15.6 million.

The EA focuses on tackling large-scale waste crime, often linked to organised criminal activity while fly-tipping is managed by local authorities.

The EA is tackling waste crime across the West Midlands region, including the Forest of Dean. All reports are taken seriously, investigating each one and determining the most appropriate intervention, based on the level of risk to communities and the environment. EA Officers use a wide range of prevention and disruption techniques and are not hesitating to use these and to take enforcement action where necessary on any illegal waste sites in the Forest of Dean.

Defra also works with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG) to promote good practice, including advice on preventing fly-tipping on private land.