Fly-tipped trailers across Buckinghamshire to be ‘removed imminently’ under criminal investigation

The cabinet member for climate change and environment Thomas Broom said: “A number of these trailers have appeared across the county.

“They haven’t just appeared across Buckinghamshire. They have actually appeared across a number of counties.”

Speaking at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, Councillor Broom also confirmed there was an ongoing multi-agency criminal investigation led by the Environment Agency and involving different police forces into separate dumps.

One of the sites is a layby opposite Mumfords Lane on the A40 Oxford Road outside Gerrards Cross and near Chalfont St Peter where a lorry trailer and other waste was dumped earlier this year.

The waste and 13m (42ft) trailer were reported by residents using the council’s online service.

Councillor Broom said: “This has meant that effectively, these lorries’ trailers have been treated as evidence for quite some time as a crime scene so that has delayed our own access to them.”

Council officers have had to test the waste found in the lorries to ensure they do not contain hazardous material such as asbestos.

Councillor Broom said the council had drafted specialist contractors to dispose of fly-tips which do contain hazardous waste.

The cabinet member said he expected the fly-tips to be ‘removed imminently’, which have been there ‘much longer than we would like’ and said the council was looking to ‘rebalance’ the relationship between investigators and those clearing the waste.

Council leader Martin Tett added he received many complaints from residents about ‘abandoned lorries’ and subsequent fly-tips around vehicles.