Hazardous waste dumped in beauty spot car park

It was estimated the mess would cost up to £12,000 to be cleared from Weald Country Park

Up to 20 tonnes of waste thought to contain asbestos has been dumped in a car park used as a drop-off point for parents.

The mess was fly-tipped at Weald Country Park, near Brentwood, overnight on 18 January, Essex County Council said.

A sign from Explore Essex, which looks after the park, said: "Potentially hazardous waste. Keep clear."

The county council said the mess would be cleared by Tuesday evening.

The incident sparked a warning from Iain Gunn, the headteacher of St Peter's Primary School in South Weald.

He said about 50 vehicles use the car park daily as a picking up and dropping off point, the Local Democracy Reporting Service wrote.

"The council needs to use specialist contractors and the estimated cost is between £9,000 and £12,000 as there could be asbestos in the rubbish," Mr Gunn said.

The car park has been used as a school pick-up and drop-off point for parents

The county council said the mess was being cleared on Tuesday and it expected work to be completed by the evening.

"There is never any justification for fly-tipping," a spokesman said.

"It is a criminal offence that can result in prosecution."

The incident came a fortnight after Brentwood Borough Council announced it was looking to set up a fly-tipping "response team" at an annual cost of £70,000.

From 2012 to 2021 the number of fly-tips remained at about 600 a year.

Visitors to a country park were warned to keep clear of "potentially hazardous waste"

But over the past two years, the borough experienced a huge increase, seeing 1,359 incidents last year.

Conservative councillor Will Russell said the issue was posing a "significant challenge" for the local authority.

Speaking about the latest incident, he added: "Rarely do we encounter an incident of such immense scale and magnitude.

"The infuriating aspect of this particular occurrence is that it has desecrated a cherished beauty spot, fuelling widespread anger and frustration."