FARMERS IN HEREFORDSHIRE, PLEASE BE AWARE.
Landowner Warning – Waste Scam
Date: 25/01/2018
In the last week two new incidents involving scams against farmers have been reported to the Environment Agency’s environmental crime team. Farmers have been contacted and asked if they would be happy to store “tarmac road planings” on their land (material used for repairing roads and farmyards). Some have also been asked to store wrapped bales of silage.
After accepting the offer and cash they instead found bales of landfill waste dumped on their property, landing them with both the environmental liability and a bill to transport and remove the waste to an authorised disposal site.
While this has so far only been reported in Lincolnshire it is important to be aware of rogue trading scams like this.
Advice from the Environment Agency includes:
• use reputable agents and brokers
• carry out suitable checks and due diligence
i.e. get the individuals details, vehicle registration, ask where the waste is coming from (address, permit number, waste carriers registration)
• inform them you’ll be contacting the Environment Agency or call us whilst they are there
• don’t agree to accept any waste until you have carried out some checks and had a cooling off period to fully consider the offer
If you see or suspect illegal waste activities, report it to West Mercia Police on 101 or the Independent Charity CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website at crimestoppers-uk.org.
You can also ask 101 to contact or put you through to the West Mercia Police, Rural & Business Officer (Crime Prevention) for HEREFORDSHIRE – Paul Crumpton – Dial 101 and ask for 4408
