A man was arrested after officers responded to a report of fly-tipping in progress on farmland in East Herts.
A 999 call was made to the police control room shortly before 4pm on Tuesday (24 June), stating that two men had been disturbed depositing waste and had made off.
Officers from the East Herts Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) attended and carried out a search of the area, locating and seizing a van which had been involved.
Following some shrewd investigative work by the team, a suspect was quickly identified and tracked down, with assistance from long-serving Police Support Volunteer Tom Parkins.
The 28-year-old man from High Cross was subsequently arrested on suspicion of depositing or knowingly causing or knowingly permitting waste to be in or on land unless in accordance with the terms of a waste management licence, under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
He was also arrested on suspicion of possession of both Class A and Class B drugs following a search of his address.
In police custody, he admitted to all three offences and was dealt with by way of Community Resolution, setting out strict conditions he must adhere to or face further action.
The fly-tipped waste was placed back onto the van to be properly disposed of.
The owner of the van was also traced and deemed to have had no involvement in the incident.
Sergeant David Miller, from the East Herts Rural NPT, said: “This is a great example of how police are working with the rural community to identify fly-tippers and make arrests. Fly-tipping has a hugely detrimental effect on our hard-working farmers and we will continue to pursue these criminals and take action.”
National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Hertfordshire County Adviser Josh Redford said: “Fly-tipping continues to be a huge issue for farmers and growers in the county and across the country, so it is pleasing to see some positive action to tackle this issue.
“Fly-tipping blights the countryside, damages the environment and, with farmers and landowners often legally responsible for removing the rubbish, despite being the victim of the crime, the clear-up costs the industry, nationally, tens of millions of pounds a year.
“The NFU is working closely with the police, Police and Crime Commissioner, local councils and the Environment Agency to reduce fly-tipping.
“We will continue to work with these organisations to stand up for our members and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“A big thanks goes to East Hertfordshire police for their work on this case.
“Positive convictions act as a strong deterrent to prevent further crimes like this happening in the future.”
If you witness fly-tipping in progress, dial 999 straight away, giving details of any vehicles and descriptions of those involved.
Anyone who suspects waste crime can report it to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline 0800 807060.