"A new 33-strong drone unit is being deployed to investigate the scourge of illegal waste dumping across England, the government has announced. The improvements to the investigation of illegal waste dumping which costs the UK economy 1bn a year come as the ringleader of a major waste crime gang was ordered to pay 1.4m after being convicted at Birmingham crown court."
"Varun Datta, 36, from London, was responsible for the organised illegal dumping of mostly municipal waste at a network of 16 sites across the country, including at a historic manor house and a nature reserve in Lancashire. Datta described as a prolific waste criminal was given a four-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay 1.1m, reflecting the financial benefit from his crimes, plus 100,000 in compensation and 200,000 in prosecution costs."
"Phil Davies, the head of the joint unit for waste crime, said: With organised criminals becoming ever more sophisticated, we are adopting new technologies to find and, importantly, stop them. Through the greater use of drones, stronger partnerships and more officers on the ground, we will build on our action so far and send a clear message to those committing waste crimes we will stop you."
A new 33-strong drone unit will be deployed across England to investigate illegal waste dumping, with some drones fitted with lidar to create detailed maps of sites. The Environment Agency has increased its joint investigations unit to 20 specialists and will combine drones, stronger partnerships and more officers to disrupt organised waste criminals. Illegal dumping costs the UK economy about £1bn a year. Varun Datta was convicted for organising illegal dumping across 16 sites, given a four-month jail term suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay £1.1m plus £100,000 compensation and £200,000 prosecution costs to fund site restoration.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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