Councils using former SAS soldiers to combat fly-tipping

Local authorities have been using military tactics against the increasing problem of fly-tipping across England, including the deployment of special forces soldiers.

Due to the increasing involvement of violent criminal gangs in the world of illegal waste management, highly trained military operatives – including former SAS soldiers – have begun staking out key areas and reporting their findings.

A specialist unit of between four and eight specialists was set up by Subrosa Group, which recruits former military professionals for private hire to councils and waste management firms.

Niall Burns, chief executive of Subrosa Group, says the clandestine experience of its personnel is well suited for weeding out fly-tippers.

He said, “They bring all those military skills of building hides in hostile environments into this commercial world.

“Criminals come out with new ideas all the time. They’ve got the money, they’ve got the resources, they’ve got the wherewithal. We need to act radically in order to build a case against them.”

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Evidence gathered by covert teams has been passed onto police and prosecutors and has already led to several convictions.

Criminals have been turning to fly-tipping to skirt landfill taxes, as well as dumping hazardous waste in the countryside, on private farmland and even in the ocean.

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Proceeds from fly-tipping can be used to fund further illegal activities. Of the 60 organised crime groups under surveillance in Britain:

• 70% were also involved in money laundering.
• 66% were involved in buying drugs.
• More than 50% were involved in violent crimes.
• 25% were involved in organised immigration crime and human trafficking.

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“Individuals who might have once been armed bank robbers are the type going into waste crime. There’s a lot of reward for less risk,” added Burns.

Because fines are so low for organised crime groups with huge resources, the government’s approach to fly-tipping has been described by the Commons public accounts committee as “close to decriminalisation”.

Illegal waste activities aren’t always as obvious as dumping huge piles of rubbish in public areas.

Mislabeling waste to avoid higher landfill taxes or to export it to other countries under the pretence that its valuable recycling is also coming under harder scrutiny by the Environment Agency.

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There have even been reports of local incidents in Suffolk, where SunSkips operates its skip hire services.

One man from Woodbridge was caught dumping around 14 tonnes of waste in Ipswich and landed himself a fine of almost £2,500.

But with SAS veterans hiding themselves in the undergrowth just waiting for waste criminals to slip up, fly-tipping may soon become a thing of the past.

SunSkips adheres to all Environment Agency and local authority guidelines for proper, sustainable waste management. The skip hire company is committed to doing its part to clamp down on fly-tipping and other illegal waste practices in East Anglia and beyond.