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Illegal natural beauty area waste site shut down

Tom BurgessNorth East and Cumbria
EA A large pile of rubble and dirt has been dumped in the middle of a grassy field. A tree can be seen in the distance.EA
The Environment Agency has started criminal proceedings against those alleged to have operated the site

The Environment Agency (EA) has closed down a waste site after reports of illegal dumping in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

A court order is now in place stopping anyone from importing waste on to land at Park Head Plantation in Wolsingham, inside the North Pennines AONB.

The EA said previous notices requiring the dumping to stop and the waste to be cleared were ignored.

Area environment manager Gary Wallace said so-called waste crime "scars communities and the environment".

EA A close up of the pile of rubbish which had been dumped. Dirt, concrete blocks and sticks can be seen piled high.EA
A variety of waste was being dumped at the site

He said: "This site is now secure while criminal proceedings are ongoing."

Access to the site is also prohibited and the restriction order will last six months, with breaching the order a criminal offence.

The EA said it had started criminal proceedings against those alleged to have operated the site and deposited waste on the land.

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