Dumped hazardous waste could cost farmer £26k

Tom Streeter described the repeated dumping of waste on his land as "depressing"

A farmer has said it could cost £26,000 to clear 40 tonnes of hazardous waste dumped on one of his fields.

Tom Streeter, of Great Hallingbury in Essex, said the trommel waste - from an industrial process - appeared in a far corner of his land during the weekend.

Just five months ago criminals broke through chains and padlocks to dump waste on another part of his arable farm.

He said: "If the insurance doesn't pick up the cover of the cost for this and the rest of it, that is my profit gone for the whole year."

It is the second time material has been dumped on land in Essex this year

The arable farmer said the "foul" smelling waste has already been through a recycling process but somebody had then illegally left it on his land instead of disposing it through the proper legal channels.

Kath Crowther, regional director for The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) , explained that "trommel waste" was what was left behind after solid valuable items had been separated and removed.

She said: "There could be anything in there. Glass, plastics, some heavy metals and the problem is that because we don't know what it is, it can be really costly to get rid of.

"It's a blight on the landscape. It impacts on farms, on crops, on biodiversity and the environment as well."

It is hard to identify the exact materials in the dumped waste

As the waste is now on Mr Streeter's land - which is near Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire - he is tasked with removing it.

He could even face prosecution himself.

He also fears the potentially hazardous material could affect crops growing nearby.

"A while ago I'd have been really angry. Now it's... I'm not accepting of it, but it's frustration and it's depressing.

"How feral is the countryside going to become by these sorts of things happening and us not being able to deal with it?"

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "Specialist environmental crime officers are investigating suspected waste crime in and around Hertfordshire.

"Working with other agencies, they are following up leads to bring the perpetrators to justice and recoup money gained from illegal activity.

"We share the public's anger that waste is dumped illegally, spoiling our countryside, but we use all available resources to get these shameless people into a court.

"Anyone with information on this incident, or where waste crime is suspected elsewhere, can report it in confidence to the Environment Agency's 24-hour incident hotline, 0800 807060, or CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555111."