122,000 tonnes of waste illegally buried in Whittlesey allowed to remain

The EA has stated that the the waste that has been dumped at Saxon Pit will be allowed to remain in place under strict conditions to ensure that the waste in properly contained and poses no future risk to the community.

The unauthorised waste was dumped at Saxon Pit- a former brickworks just to the north of Whittlesey- and first came of the attention of residents in December 2017 when they began to notice “foul” smells coming from the waste disposal site.

The waste, which is believed to be automative shredder residue containing copper, zinc and total petroleum hydrocarbons was dumped between October October 2017 and February 2018. Samples showed that much of the waste was considered “hazardous.”

Seven years on from the first dumping, the EA still describes its investigation as ‘ongoing’ and no prosecutions have been brought; a fact highlighted by North East Cambridgeshire Steve Barclay in a parliamentary debate last week.

In a highly critical speech against the EA, Mr Barclay said: “The EA’s initial response was to say that they has been totally unaware of 122,00 tonnes of waste being dumped but regardless of if they were asleep at the wheel, you would expect them to act. They told the operator that they expected all waste to be disposed of by October 10, 2018 but but seven years on, the waste remains in situ."

In response, a spokesperson for the EA said: "We understand people’s concerns about the activities at Saxon Pit at Whittlesey. Our investigation into the unlawful deposit of non-conforming waste is ongoing and we continue to monitor the site.

“We have agreed with the operator that the waste in question can remain buried, subject to strict conditions that ensure the waste is appropriately contained and does not pose a future risk to the environment or the local community.

“If people suspect criminal activity, they should report it on our national incident hotline 0800 807060 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and give as much detail as possible.”