Three men have been convicted following a major investigation led by the Environment Agency into large-scale illegal deposits of waste at 14 sites across the country.

The investigation, named Operation Cesium, involved 17 sites across Liverpool, Lancashire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Shropshire, Yorkshire and Humberside.

Organised criminal gang members approached waste facilities and offered to dispose of baled waste at reduced costs, which they later abandoned, Environment Agency intelligence revealed.

More than 26,000 tonnes of waste – the equivalent weight of around 2,170 double-decker buses – is estimated to have been deposited illegally across the sites investigated.

They are estimated to have avoided landfill tax costs in excess of £2.7 million, while the cost of clearing the waste at the landowners’ expense is estimated at more than £3.2 million.

Operation Cesium was a complex investigation into large-scale waste dumps across the country by a gang who spared little thought for their victims and the environmental, financial and health impacts they caused.

Impacts for the victims included the financial costs of removing waste from the land, fly and rat infestations causing nearby businesses to close, and the closure and demolition of sites. There were also further impacts to the environment, the victims’ health and the neighbouring communities.

Offences included the gang entering into rental or lease agreements with owners of land, farms, industrial units and, in one instance, an operational airfield, under the false pretences of storing plastic pellets and motor vehicles or for the temporary storage of refuse derived fuel for later exportation to incinerators abroad. The baled waste, normally made up of household or business waste, was then abandoned at the sites.

They also diverted the waste to sites which were owned but unused, forcing entry and depositing bales of waste. This method was highly organised and made to seem legitimate by the gang deploying ‘security officers’ in hi-vis clothing at the entrance to the sites.

On 18 July, Marcus Hughes, 53, and Richard Hopkinson, 52, attended a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court where they pleaded guilty to various environmental, company and fraud offences. On 26 July, Robert McDonagh, 51, attended a hearing at the same court where he too pleaded guilty to environmental, company and fraud offences.

Sentencing is set for 17 and 18 December 2024 at Birmingham Crown Court.

Emma Viner, Environment Agency Enforcement and Investigations Manager, said: “Operation Cesium was a complex investigation into large-scale waste dumps across the country by a gang who spared little thought for their victims and the environmental, financial and health impacts they caused.

“We take our responsibility to protect people and the environment seriously, whether by stopping large-scale dumping or making life harder for criminals by disrupting illegal activity through tough and decisive action.”