An in-depth study, testing air, water and soil at three of the largest illegal waste dumps in the UK, has revealed alarming findings in Bassetlaw.

Sky News has reported findings from tests conducted by them with Oxford scientists over a six month period, to have yielded results that could potentially pose a 'serious health risk' to humans.

At the 55,000-tonne dump in Ranskill, reported for its existence in the Worksop Guardian earlier in the year, the recently reported tests revealed a strong match for the pesticide thanite, that is not approved for use in the UK, as it can 'pose danger to human and animal life'.

A strong match for the chemical carbon tetrachloride was also detected in the air – this is described as 'a volatile compound banned in consumer products that can cause liver and kidney damage, as well as being linked to cancer'.

Common Lane in Ranskill leads to the area of land where a massive tip of illegal waste is dumped.

placeholder image — Common Lane in Ranskill leads to the area of land where a massive tip of illegal waste is dumped.

Also, the majority of chemicals found in the water samples were said to be above the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) levels – the scientific measure above which there may be harmful effects on the environment.

Ranskill was shown in the Sky News study to have the most polluted water, with 49 chemicals present.

Another large illegal waste site that exists in Harworth, Bassetlaw, was not included in the testing.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Illegal waste sites are created by criminals who dump untreated waste for profit with no regard for what they leave behind and how this may affect local communities or harm the environment.

"We are ramping up efforts to prevent this from happening by confronting the criminals responsible head on - last year alone we stopped 743 illegal sites, and with partners, have made 18 arrests since April.

"Our scientists will carefully consider these findings alongside our own evidence."

If members of the public have information that would assist the investigation into the Ranskill illegal waste site they can report this to EA 24 hour hotlines on 0800 80 70 60, online at [email protected], or to CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Illegal waste can contain unknown and potentially harmful materials, including household solvents, oils, plastics and electrical items. People should never enter these sites, disturb waste or attempt to remove it themselves.

With regard to Ranskill, the EA said they will continue to monitor and assess the site to understand any potential environmental impacts and to inform both their regulatory and investigative response.

An exemption was previously registered for the site, but activities on site exceeded the permitted scope.

The spokesperson added: “We cannot comment further on the criminal investigation as this is a live case. Tackling waste crime often involves complex, lengthy investigations to build cases that stand up in court.”

Nottinghamshire County Council has put a Stop Notice and Planning Enforcement notice in place to prevent further waste from being dumped.