Culprit tracked down and punished for ‘worst-ever’ dump in New Forest

The New Forest is world famous for its wild horses, babbling brooks, ancient trees and… old tyres.

Now, a litterbug has been tracked down and fined after ‘one of the worst ever’ fly-tipping dumps ever in the protected beauty spot.

The mound of rubbish was dumped at Norleywood Inclosure, near the B3054 outside Lymington, Hampshire, overnight on October 1.

Investigators said it included cardboard, electrical appliances and numerous black sacks filled with household waste.

The waste dump sparked a joint investigation by New Forest District Council (NFDC) and Forestry England, which manages much of the land within the protected national park.

At the time, officials shared images of the rubbish online and appealed for help to identify the people responsible.

Today, NFDC confirmed its enforcement team traced the waste to someone who lived outside the area and had paid an unlicensed company to remove rubbish from their home.

The person was issued with a fixed penalty notice. Officials reminded householders to make sure they used registered waste carriers for rubbish removal.

Police, the Environment Agency (EA) and local authorities have been battling increasing problems with flytipping across the country. 

Earlier this month, a site off the M57, in Kirkby, Merseyside, was shut down after 30,000 tonnes of rubbish were dumped illegally.

It was just the latest in a string of so-called ‘super-sites’, including Northwich, in Cheshire, which contains around 280,000 tonnes and is so full that the soil has been contaminated 

Sites in Burnley, Lancashire, and Camborne, Cornwall, both hold 50,000 tonnes of predominantly construction and demolition waste.

A dump in Sittingbourne, Kent, contains approximately 36,000 tonnes of commercial and construction waste.

More than 700 illegal dumps were shut down in 2024/5 but the problem shows no sign of abating. 

Many flytippers are linked to organised gangs and phoney ‘waste disposal’ operators.

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