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

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many waste businesses or sole traders were prosecuted for illegal waste tipping offences in England in (1) 2016, and (2) 2017.

The Environment Agency (EA) prosecuted (1) 47 waste businesses or sole traders in 2016 and (2) 39 waste businesses or sole traders in 2017. Successful prosecutions resulted in sentences including, for example, a 122 month total combined jail sentence, a 90 month sentence, and a £1 million fine.

The EA leads on large scale waste crime. Local authorities lead on smaller incidents and may have taken additional prosecution action against illegal operators.