Leeds council seizes vehicles after reports of illegal waste burning in Farnley

Several vehicles were seized in New Farnley during a joint operation between Leeds City Council’s serious environmental crime team and West Yorkshire Police following reports of waste being burnt illegally on private land.

The council's newly-established team seized a box trailer full of scrap metal and stripped cable, as well as a large skip wagon filled with old skips and scrap metal, as the vehicles had been used in the transportation of waste without the relevant licenses.

If the vehicles are not claimed within 15 days, the council has the authority to sell or destroy them.

West Yorkshire Police also recovered a number of stolen vehicles and plant machinery at the same site.

Coun Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council's executive member for environment and housing, said: “This is a fantastic result for the team, taking vehicles off the streets that are being used to blight our communities with illegally disposed of waste.

“The work that the serious environmental crime team do week in week out, is a crucial part of the council’s work to keep our neighbourhoods clean and it is brilliant to see them successfully work in partnership with the police to make Leeds a safer and cleaner place to live.

"A wide range of further evidence in relation to fly tipping and the treatment of waste were obtained on the site and further enquiries are being undertaken by council officers with the view to prosecute."

Leeds City Council’s serious environmental crime team has been established to target industrial and organised waste crime, building intelligence to crack down on repeat offenders and illegal waste carriers.

If you witness somebody dumping waste, you can report it via https://bit.ly/3agGGwA.

Inspector Phil Gill, who heads the Leeds West Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Environmental crime that has a negative impact on our communities often has links to wider criminality, as the results of this operation have clearly shown.

“This was an excellent opportunity to work alongside our partners in the council to tackle offences across both our areas of business, and we look forward to supporting the work of the team on future operations.”