Officers from the Environment Agency issued the notice on Thursday, June 16th. After a wildfire on the site at Kenfield Farm, Main Road, Clenchwarton near King’s Lynn, the notice was issued to prohibit the disposal of garbage and waste fires.
A Stop Notice is issued when the Environment Agency feels a specific activity poses a severe risk to human health or the environment.
At Kenfield Farm, garbage disposal and burning are now prohibited. If the landowner does not comply with the notification, they will be taken to court and prosecuted, as it is a criminal offense to ignore the notice.
The notice will be in effect until the risk has been mitigated and the location has been brought into compliance.
The investigation into the site’s alleged garbage activities is still ongoing.
The Environment Agency’s Enforcement Team Leader, Phil Henderson, said:
Unauthorized trash activity is taken extremely seriously by us, and we will take all necessary steps to mitigate the hazards it poses, as well as prosecute individuals who are guilty when necessary.
Everyone who produces waste, including small enterprises and individuals, must ensure that their waste is exclusively transported to legally licensed waste sites by registered waste carriers. They may face criminal charges if they do not do so.
Please contact EAN-Enforcement-West@environment-agency.gov.uk if you see rubbish being transported onto or burned at this facility.
Please contact us if you have any other information on the site that could assist our investigations, or if you know of any other unlicensed garbage sites or activities. You can reach us at 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111 if you have an incident.
To take action against this unlawful facility, the Environment Agency worked closely with partners from the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, as well as Norfolk Police.
The Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk issued the following statement:
We will not allow behavior like this, which demonstrates a complete disdain for the local community and the environment. When we become aware of illegal waste dumping, we will do everything we can to put a stop to it.
When agencies and the general public work together to combat this type of behavior, it is most effective. Our responsibility is to investigate and take collaborative action with the Environment Agency when this occurs.
The general public can assist us by reporting occurrences and removing the market for it by ensuring that any waste carrier they use to dispose of their garbage is permitted.