Nearly 30 illegal waste 'super sites' revealed in new government watchlist

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Nearly 30 illegal waste 'super sites' revealed in new government watchlist48 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleMalcolm Priorrural affairs producerGetty ImagesThe locations of 117 illegal waste sites have been revealed on a new national watchlistNearly 30 suspected illegal waste "super sites", each containing tens of thousands of tonnes of rubbish, have been identified in a new watchlist of dumps in England. The list of 117 "high priority" sites, published by the Environment Agency (EA) on Friday, includes 28 so-called "super sites" that contain more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. The largest is a 281,000-tonne heap of contaminated soil in Northwich, Cheshire, which is one of 11 such sites revealed by a investigation in January.

The EA said there are about 700 illegal waste sites in total, but it had highlighted ones of a higher priority to "enable residents to see where we are acting". Included on the watchlist are the sites that are currently being cleared up by the EA at Hoads Wood, in Kent, and Kidlington, in Oxfordshire. Huge tips in Wigan and Sheffield - together containing nearly 40,000 tonnes of waste - also feature on the list.

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They have been earmarked for possible clearance at the taxpayers' expense as part of the government's waste crime action plan. But the EA emphasised that it was not generally funded to clear up the other sites identified on the watchlist and only does so in exceptional circumstances. It said sites chosen for clean-up so far were picked "due to a specific criteria, which includes posing a serious environmental risk and impact on the local community.

This was a decision made by the government. "Malcolm Prior/BBCSheffield business owner Geoff Howarth said the new watchlist gave him "no more faith" that action would be takenGeoff Howarth, the owner of a business next to the Sheffield site, told the that the new watchlist gave him "no more faith whatsoever" that greater action would be taken. He added that the agency needed "to step up" and do more to tackle illegal waste and stop criminals from reoffending.

But, he added, that sites should only be cleared up using public money if the land is owned by criminals themselves - and seized and sold off to recoup the cost. 'Serious blight'Some of the sites identified - which contain a wide-range of materials, including household waste, construction materials, asbestos and tyres - are tips that are operating without the correct permits. Others are land, often privately owned and in the countryside, which has been used to dump huge piles of rubbish.

The EA urged members of the public to come forward if they had any concerns or information about the sites named on the watchlist, which it would aim to update every month as part of its ongoing action to track waste sites.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.