Investigation ongoing into huge illegal dump by village near Retford
A criminal investigation has been launched into a colossal mass of illegal waste discovered on the fringe of a small village near Retford.
The huge dump at the back of an industrial site off Common Lane in the village of Ranskill contains over 59,000 tonnes of rubbish and is one of the largest in the UK.
It is among the 117 illegal tips named on a 'watchlist' high priority sites, just released by the Environment Agency, as it steps up its efforts to tackle escalating waste crime.
The list shows where the EA is currently focusing its attention, and will be updated each month.
A 2,000 tonnes waste dump in the Bassetlaw village of Bircotes also appears on the list.
Enforcement notices have been served at Ranskill by Nottinghamshire County Council for activity to cease there and for the pile of commercial and other waste to be cleared.
Regarding the Ranskill waste site, a spokesperson from the Environment Agency said: "The challenge posed by waste crime has grown and we are working hard to tackle this blight on our environment.
“Working with the County Council, we have stopped any further dumping at this site.
"A criminal investigation is now ongoing, and we will do everything in our power to find those responsible and bring them to justice.
"Anyone who spots suspicious activity should call our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60."
The Environment Agency has new initiatives to clamp down on illegal waste, aiming to address activity before it becomes established and harms communities, damages the environment, and undermines legitimate businesses.