Concern over 'organised' fly-tippers

Disposing of a large lorry trailer full of tyres costs £800

The Environment Agency says the Essex countryside is being ruined by an organised gang of fly-tippers - and councils are being forced to swallow the cost of clearing up.

Local officials said eight large lorry trailers packed with old tyres have been illegally dumped in the last six months.

John Parish, with the Environment Agency, told BBC Look East: "I think this is environmental vandalism at its worst."

Proper disposal of old tyres is especially important, the agency says, because they release chemicals when they decompose, and toxic fumes if they are burned.

A recent tyre fire at a legal landfill in Cambridgeshire took more than 12 hours to douse.

Costly cleanup

Regulations governing the disposal of tyres at landfill sites are being tightened, which makes getting rid of them illegally more tempting, and the fly-tippers are covering their tracks well.

A number plate which could have identified a recently-dumped vehicle packed with tyres was cut out with an acetylene torch.

Derek Jacobs, with Epping Forest District Council, told BBC Look East the cost of the cleanup is passed along to taxpayers.

He said: "We have to get our contractors to dispose of the lorry trailer, which will cost us at least £800."

The Environment Agency is appealing for help from the public to catch illegal dumpers.