The Environment Agency has launched a specialist drone unit to track down illegally dumped waste from the air, stepping up its crackdown on fly-tipping and organised waste crime.
The 33-strong squad includes drones equipped with advanced Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) laser mapping technology, capable of producing highly detailed 3D images of illegal waste sites. The technology will strengthen evidence gathering and support successful prosecutions against offenders.
Alongside aerial surveillancea new screening tool will cross-check lorry licence applications published by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner against waste permit records, enabling officers to flag suspicious operators before they begin transporting waste.
The measures are reinforced by an expanded 20-strong Joint Unit for Waste Crime, working closely with police forces and the National Crime Agency. Together, they build on a record year of enforcement that saw 751 illegal waste sites shut down, and 221 prosecutions brought against waste criminals.
