Fly-tipping gang ordered to repay £112,338 after secret dump exposed village to toxic fumes

A fly-tipping gang responsible for an illicit waste site near Long Bennington, Lincolnshire, has been ordered to repay £112,338 under a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, the Environment Agency said. The group, which involved 12 men and one company, made about £500,000 from operating a secret dump that exposed nearby residents to noxious fumes for seven months. Clean-up costs are estimated at around £1.2 million. The Environment Agency (EA) and Lincolnshire Police carried out a raid on the site in April 2020 after months of intelligence gathering, including surveillance that captured waste being incinerated and toxic smoke billowing from the operation.

The case connects to a broader crackdown on waste crime that culminated in last year’s sentencing, when the defendants were collectively jailed for 11 years. Ten of the defendants pleaded guilty, while the remaining three were found guilty after an eight-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court. The judge described the operation as highly harmful and deliberately concealed, with falsified paperwork used to obscure the illegal activity and the profit motive driving the scheme.

As part of the proceeds of crime process, individual confiscation orders have been issued against several participants. Robert Malone, a waste broker and dealer, was fined £1,165 and subjected to a confiscation order of £45,948. Daniel Lippitt, an operator who deposited waste at the site, received a confiscation order of £10,000. Luke Woodward and Sonial Surpal, lorry drivers who deposited waste at the site, were ordered to pay £1,111 and £16,511 respectively. Nathan Jones, a site operative, faced a confiscation order of £1,180. In a related development last month, Fletcher Plant Limited received a confiscation order of £37,587 for failing in its duty to ensure the site it delivered waste to was operating legally.

Officials at the EA say the proceedings are far from over. A Proceeds of Crime Award hearing will be brought against the main offenders—Paul, Judith and Joshua Canner—plus landowners Marc Greenfield and James Baggaley, who are alleged to have knowingly permitted the illegal site to operate. The EA said the money recovered through the proceedings would be used to strengthen tools and teams tasked with tackling waste crime and to support future enforcement efforts. Peter Stark, head of the EA enforcement team for the region, described the case as a stark reminder that those who profit from illegal waste activities will face serious consequences for harming communities and the environment.

Leigh Edlin, EA area director for Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, said the episode demonstrated that waste crime blights communities, damages legitimate businesses and undermines regulatory efforts. He noted that the operation was highly organized and involved multiple offenders who sought to profit from the Covid-era restrictions at the expense of locals’ health and well-being. The EA stressed that it will continue to pursue offenders and cooperate with police and local authorities to hold them to account. People who suspect a company is involved in illegal waste activity are urged to contact the EA’s 24-hour hotline at 0800 80 70 60, or Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111.