NPA warning not to dump rubbish in New Forest (From Daily Echo)

NPA warning not to dump rubbish in New Forest

7:20am Wednesday 4th November 2009 in

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A NEW Forest field is being excavated this week to find out if illegal waste is hidden beneath its surface.

Diggers contracted by the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) yesterday started work at Pollards Moor Lane, Copythorne.

In the first case of its kind, the NPA could reclaim the cost of removing any discovered waste from the field’s owner, Kenneth Lovett.

They want the action to send out a warning to other landowners that the New Forest cannot be used as an illegal dumping ground.

The Environment Agency (EA) last week used geophysical equipment to scan the field’s surface to search for what might be hidden below.

Environment officer Stuart Moroney said a layer of unknown material had been spotted about 1m to 1.5m underground.

He said soil and groundwater samples collected this week would be analysed to ascertain if the field was contaminated.

An EA spokesman said that in 2006 Mr Lovett had planned to graze horses on his field, but couldn’t because the land lies on a natural flood plain.

He decided to overcome the problem by raising the land level with waste material and by diverting the stream that ran through the field through a plastic pipe.

The material included wood, plastics, tar, metals and even lumps of concrete, New Forest magistrates were told.

Mr Lovett, who lives next door to the field, claimed the waste operators had told him he did not need a licence or planning permission.

The work was done in the autumn of 2006 and angered people living in the area. Objectors held a public meeting and also staged a demonstration.

Mr Lovett unsuccessfully appealed against enforcement action taken by the NPA and a Government-appointed planning inspector ordered him to restore the land to its previous state.

The EA prosecuted Mr Lovett for offences relating to flood risk, illegal deposit of waste and environmental protection. He was fined a total of £3,550 for the offences and ordered to pay £2,375 costs.

Swanwick Construction, one of the companies delivering waste to the site, was fined £5,000 at Southampton Crown Court in February this year for the unauthorised deposit of waste.

It was also fined a further £2,000 for failing to comply with an Environment Agency notice requesting information.

James Humphrys, EA area manager, said: “Our action should send out a clear message to those who might be tempted to dump waste illegally.

“We have the technology to locate waste even when it is buried below the ground and we will not hesitate to prosecute those whose actions harm the environment.”